The Paths We Take
by Hiruma
Summary: Um, read and find out, I don't know how to summarize it. YAOI warning, it's AU and keep in mind that I like reviews
1. Part I

Hey Happy Readers, just to warn you, there's yaoi, much, much violence in the hopefully near future and this is AU. So if you don't like the our favorite guys loving each other and killing people in an alternative universe, then don't read this freaking fic. Remember that Hiruma owns nothing. Now prop your feet up, grab your favorite flavor of Pocky and enjoy the show.  
  
The Paths We Take  
  
Part I  
  
Stopping in the shade of some trees, Seiji adjusted his white and green shirt that was under his flexible cuirass that protected his chest, stomach and back. His feet were clad in black boots that went half way up his shin and went over his white pants. Strapped to his back was a large sword that he always carried around and slung over his shoulder was a satchel. It had been a long day of traveling and he was all for setting up camp. He pushed his short, blond hair out of his face and turned around to check on his companion. The younger boy that was behind of him was nearly tripping over the long, white robe he wore, trying to catch up with Seiji. He had knee high white boots that were streaked with dust and under his robe he wore a flexible cuirass like Seiji, except it didn't go past his chest and the shirt he had on was blue. A pouch hung from his shoulder and clasped in his hand was a staff. At his waist was a long dagger and his hair was kept out of his face with a black headband. The boy was sixteen, three years younger than Seiji. He looked up at Seiji and scolded at him, he hated the smug look on the blond's face. Then, he tripped over his robe, almost landing flat on his face, but strong arms caught him before he fell.  
"Touma-chan, you should be more careful, we don't want you damaging that pretty face of yours," Seiji teased.  
Touma glared at his friend, then wiggled his way out of Seiji's arms. Taking out his small pad of paper and a pencil he struggled for awhile to figure out how to construct the sentence he wanted to say. He scribbled down something and showed it to the blond. On the piece of paper, it said "You sleep alone to night" and Seiji could only laugh at the statement. The smile on his face was both from the message and the fact that Touma was getting better at his writing. Even if there were some mistakes in it, it was better than when he first started teaching Touma to read and write. Though Touma could understand the language perfectly, things had still been complicated when they first met. Touma was mute and when they first met he had literally ran into Seiji, he tried to tell Seiji that he was being chased and he needed help, but the only way he could communicate with Seiji was body language. By the time Seiji got what Touma was trying to say, it was a bit too late, for the mercenary hired to kill the boy had caught up Touma. That's when Seiji got rid of Touma's problem with one slash of his sword. Ever since then, Touma was always faithfully at Seiji's side, or a few feet behind of him, trying to catch up. It was still a mystery to Seiji why someone was trying to have Touma killed, but it was too much of a long story for Touma to write out or try to tell him with signs. They had been traveling across the land for three years now and Seiji was very content with the warm body that snuggled up with him at night.  
Ignoring Touma's little comment, he asked, "What do you think? Shall we camp here?"  
Touma bobbed his head up and down.  
"All right, let's go get some firewood and then we'll settle down for the night." Even though Seiji had no doubt in his mind that Touma could defend himself and put up a good fight, he was still uneasy whenever the boy was by himself. There was someone after his life and they had some close calls in the past. It also unnerved him that Touma couldn't scream for help or even make a sound for that matter. They couldn't keep running forever, soon someone was going to find them and the blond dreaded what would occur. If anything ever happened to his Touma-chan, Seiji would definitely be after blood of the one responsible and then some. No matter what, he had to protect Touma.  
Seiji was startled out of his thoughts as he felt small, warm hands wrap around his left hand. Touma was smiling gently at him and mouthed 'Don't worry', the boy could always clearly read Seiji's emotions. After pressing a quick kiss on the blond's cheek, he made a motion for them to get the fire wood.  
"Wait," Seiji pulled Touma into a hug and held the younger boy in his arms. Touma just closed his eyes and leaned into the warm embrace. Seiji was having one of his weird moments, when he got unusually touchy, but Touma didn't mind.  
  
  
  
Sanada Ryo tapped his fingers against the railing of the boat, looking down at the clear water of the river. The boat moved sluggishly, for the river was moving eerily calm that day. He sighed and idly wondered when they were going to reach the town they were heading towards. He hoped it would be soon, he wanted to get off this boat as soon as he could. As the last rays of the sun sunk down into the west, Ryo slipped his black shirt back on, it had been a hot day and wearing clothes made it more unbearable. The air cooled and a light breeze swept through, making Ryo shiver slightly.  
"You don't want to be standing so close to the railing," Ikari, Ryo's best friend, warned him. "The river's going to get a bit rough."  
"I see that." Ryo stepped away from the railing. "Do you know what our next job is? Oji-san never told me what it was."  
"He said that we're after some wizard, doesn't have a name though. I'm going to really like this job, he's positively gorgeous, young too," Ikari fished a picture out of her pants pocket and gave it to Ryo to look at.  
Taking the picture, he raised an eyebrow at it, Ikari was actually right about this one. "Are we killing this one?"   
"I said I was going to like this job, I'd hate to kill a pretty thing like him. Thankfully we're only kidnapping him."  
The Sanada clan was known throughout the land as ninjas for hire, willing to do anything from murder to a simple threat for the right price. Ryo's parents had been killed when he was young, so he lived with his grandparents for most of his life. When he was seven, his family adopted Ikari, an orphan, who quickly adapted to the ways of the Sanada clan and became one of their greatest fighters. She was like a sister to Ryo, when she wasn't bugging the hell out of him. Ikari was a year younger than Ryo, making her only seventeen. Despite having killed many people in the past, they were both nice kids. They didn't feel guilty for killing people or making their lives less enjoyable, that was just apart of their life. The two friends were now off on their own, this was the first time they were going to do a job by themselves. Usually one of Ryo's relatives would accompany them, however this time Ryo's grandfather decided that it was time that Ryo and Ikari to go on their own. It was exciting to go by themselves, they'd do everything the way they wanted to do them. Ikari was especially excited, this was her chance to prove to some of the Sanadas that she was just as good as them. Some members of the clan looked down to her because she was adopted, now Ikari could show them that she was excellent at what she did.  
"Who's the employer?" asked Ryo.  
"I don't know. It's a friend of Oji-san's, do you have any clue who it might be?"  
He shook his head. "No."  
"Well, it doesn't matter. We just have to do this job right, nothing can go wrong." This was Ikari's only chance, if they screwed up this job, she'd never gain the respect of the members of the Sanada clan. Only Ryo, his grandfather and a few others had respect for her. She had to show them her worth and that she was just as good as the grandson of the greatest fighter ever known in the Sanada clan. Also, Ikari wanted to make Oji-san proud of her, if it wasn't for him, she probably wouldn't be still alive. The old man looked at her like a granddaughter and she had to do something that'd show him how much her family meant to her. Doing this job perfectly would be a good start.  
"All we're doing is kidnapping someone, we've done harder jobs many times before. This one shouldn't be too difficult." Ryo shrugged. He was confident that things would run smoothly for them. Wizard or not, this guy wouldn't stand a chance against two Sanada ninjas.  
"I hope you're right," Ikari sighed softly.  
Just then, the boat suddenly began to rock, as the river's water began to move rapidly and sent them down stream where the water was unmerciful to those who didn't know how to survive in these conditions. Ikari and Ryo held onto whatever they could get their hands on for support. What happened next was totally unexpected as the boat hit some large rocks in the middle of the river and both of them were practically thrown off the boat.  
  
  
  
"Stop! Thief!" a voice shouted as the young man took off with fifty gold pieces and seventy silver pieces all neatly placed in a sack. Despite the heavy bag he carried, he was amazingly fast and easily out ran the police officer that was trying to catch him. The young man was able to give the police officer the slip, by melting into the shadows of a tall building and simply disappearing from sight. Once again, the thief known as the Torrent, escaped the claws of justices. He was called the Torrent, because like the water, he was strong, swift and unstoppable. He had been stealing for years and has yet to be caught at least once. The Torrent made his way out of the small town and went towards his hideout. Deep in the forest, there was a small clearing with a tiny house. That was one of the many hideaways the Torrent had, but this was the one he used the most. He could see the shadow of a woman moving around inside and all he could do was grin. Silently entering the house, he walked up behind of the woman and quickly grabbed her, covering her mouth in the process.  
"What do you think you're doing in here?" he hissed in the woman's ear.  
The woman elbowed him in the ribs and he let go right away. She took a step back glared at him and smacked him on the side of the head. "Why do you think I'm here? I'm your fucking sister, remember, Shin? Gods, what's gotten into you? Scaring the hell out of me like that."  
"Sorry, Nausti." Shin apologized to his older sister, rubbing his head carefully. Damn, she could hit hard when she wanted to.  
"I guess everything went well, since you came home alive," Nausti turned back to the wood stove and stirred the soup she was making.  
"It was too easy and not even worth my time. Though the store had more money in it than I thought." He put his bag on the table and sat down. Nausti put a cup of tea in front of him, which he took with gratitude. Even if she could get on his nerves sometimes, Shin couldn't ask for a better sister. Really, how many people would put up with a thief as a little brother? Nausti always took good care of him, even if she didn't approve of what he did. A few years ago, he had asked his sister why she took care of him. Her answer was that he was the only family she had left and she wanted to make sure that he knew that he was loved by his older sister. Shin often thought about giving up on being a thief, just to make Nausti happy. But before he did that, he had to make sure that a certain ninja clan would stay off his back for good.  
  
  
  
What the hell will happen to Ikari and Ryo? Who is this wizard they're looking for? Is it Shu? Anyway, where the fuck is Shu? Why is this mysterious ninja clan on Shin's back? What's the real reason behind Nausti putting up with Shin? Why the hell is Touma mute? Why does Seiji care about Touma's well being so much? Why is the title of this story so dumb? Why am I still asking these dumbass questions? Why are you still reading this? Find out in Part II and many other parts in "The Paths We Take".  
  



	2. Part II

Part II  
  
The violent movements of the water tossed Ryo around in the river like a rag doll, he  
couldn't count the times his body hit a rock or scraped the bottom of the over grown stream. The  
coldness engulfed him, totally smothering him. He was bruised and bleeding, his blood being taken  
away by the swift moving river. Slowly he began to loose some feeling in his legs and hands.  
Gasping for breath, Ryo tried to swim the best he could to the embankment, the raging water  
overpowered him, driving him farther and farther away from where he wanted to be. Ryo was  
moving like a piece of drift wood, having no control as he kept moving down stream. Minutes felt  
like hours as the young ninja struggled to keep his head above the water. Several thoughts flew by  
his mind, his major concern was Ikari. He couldn't see her anywhere, it being night didn't help  
much, and he didn't know if she could even swim. For all he knew, she had hit her head on a rock,  
fallen unconscious and drowned, he refused to except that though, Ikari had to be alive. With all of  
his might, he fought against the river and slowly moved towards the embankment, it was grueling  
work, if he wanted to live though, he had to do it. Every muscle in his body ached, it was all worth  
it when his hand clutched onto dry, rough soil. He held on for dear life, his vision so blurred that he  
couldn't see in front of him, the light of a full moon didn't help him any. If he could, he would've  
pulled himself up on the embankment, yet his body had taken too much abuse and refused to move  
anymore. His head throbbed with pain and he couldn't think clearing. Then Ikari popped back into  
his mind and he began to panic. Even though Ryo's body had been zapped of most of its energy, he  
still found the strength to scream.  
"IKARI!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping that she'd hear him and reply. All he  
got back was the roar of the water. "IKARI!" Tears filled Ryo's eyes, he'd give anything just to  
hear her voice again. "IKARI! IKARI ANSWER ME!!" Again he got no reply. "Oh god, Ikari,  
where are you?" He sobbed to himself. His heart started beating harder as he realized that he was  
beginning to loose his grasp on the soil and he was slipping back into the water. "No, no, no, don't  
let me go back in," Ryo used all he had to cling on, it wasn't enough. The young ninja was swept  
back down the river. He slowly was loosing conscious, no matter how hard to tried to keep awake.  
As he was slowly being wrapped up in the darkness, he felt someone grabbing him and pulling him  
out of the river. Ryo looked up and found himself staring into the eyes of a handsome young boy  
before he passed out.  
"Great," the boy mumbled, "now I'm going to have to carry you back. Gods I hope you  
don't weigh too much." Carefully, he picked up Ryo and carried him away from the river.  
  
  
  
Touma tried to scream, but nothing came out. He sat straight up and clutched his chest, he  
was finding it hard to breathe. Never in his life had his nightmares been so frightening . . . so real.  
It was terrible, too terrible to even think about. Images from it still lingered in his mind and  
wouldn't leave, no matter how hard he tried to push them away. Tears slipped down his pale face,  
he silently sobbed, not a sound came from his lips. His body began to tremble and he sobbed  
harder, unaware that Seiji was holding him. After he calmed down, Touma leaned against Seiji,  
using the blond for support, both physically and emotionally. This was one of the times that Touma  
wished that he could speak. There were so many things he wanted to say to his friend that were too  
hard to express with his signs or writing them down on a piece of paper. Closing his eyes, he  
listened to Seiji's soft words, telling him that it was only a nightmare and that he wouldn't let  
anything hurt him. Touma believed that Seiji would never let harm come to him, he trusted Seiji  
with all of his heart, more than anyone else in the world.  
Stroking Touma's hair, Seiji was relieved when the boy finally calmed down. Even if he  
couldn't hear him crying, it still tore his heart apart whenever Touma shed a tear. He was glad that  
he was a light sleeper, or he would never notice Touma waking up like this from his nightmares.  
He didn't move until his companion had fallen asleep. Lowering Touma's sleeping form back onto  
the blanket that was spread over the ground to use a bed. Covering him with the other blanket, Seiji  
gently kissed his lips before getting up to dress. The sun was already rising and this was the usual  
time Seiji woke up at. He decided that Touma would probably need a few more hours of sleep at  
the least, once he got Touma moving, then they'd head for the town just west of them. It would  
take only half an hour to get there, so they could check into a hotel and Touma could get some  
good sleep in a warm bed. Putting on some clean clothes, the leather body armor he always wore  
and his black boots, Seiji started packing up their stuff. He came across Touma's note pad, he  
couldn't help reading over what the younger boy had written the night before during their  
conversation. They had only talked for a short while before going to sleep, but not matter how  
short the conversation, Seiji always found himself rereading what Touma had to say to him.  
Putting the note pad back in Touma's pouch, he lifted his head as he heard footsteps nearby.  
Grabbing his sword, he hid behind a tree as the footsteps became louder. Once he got a good look  
of the person, he knew right away that it was an assassin by the clothing and the beeline they made  
towards Touma.  
"What do you think you're doing?" hissed Seiji as he came out of hiding. His normally  
violet eyes were now an icy blue, one of the many signs that he was ticked off.  
"I knew you'd come out sooner or later, Date," the assassin growled and stepped towards  
him. Seiji was taken back that they knew his family name, no one knew it. The assassin laughed, "I  
did my homework. Your whole family killed by Yami's clan and poor little Seiji was left all alone.  
Save yourself some more grief, walk away and let me do my job."  
Seiji smirked and with one swift movement he lunged forward and ran the assassin through  
with his sword in the stomach. "I am saving myself grief," he whispered to the assassin. The tip of  
the sword was coming out of the lower back of the assassin and Seiji gave the blade a cruel twist  
before ripping the sword out of the dying body. Blood ran down the wound and from the corners of  
the victim's mouth, pain burned deeply, but the assassin couldn't find the power just to cry out in  
pain. Seiji heard a sharp breath being taken in and turned his head to see Touma sitting up, looking  
wide eyed at the scene.  
The assassin managed to turn their head and look Touma straight in the eyes.  
"K-K-Kayura . . . wants y-you back . . ." the assassin got out before they dropped dead.  
If he hadn't been there to hear it, Touma would've never believed that those words came  
from an assassin. This was much worse than any nightmare, for it was now a reality. All color had  
drained from Touma's face and his eyes rolled back in his head as he fainted.  
  
  
  
Nausti gazed up at the temple in front of her, she felt kind of guilty going inside, but she  
really needed to talk to someone. Looking around, she saw no one in there, she automatically began  
to think that this was a bad idea. Gathering her cloak around her tightly, she was about to leave  
when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder.  
"Are you troubled, my child?" a gentle voice asked her.  
Spinning on her heels, Nausti got a look of the young monk in front of her. She blushed a  
little, feeling a awkward for being there. "I just needed to talk to someone."  
The monk nodded his head understandingly. "I can tell that there was much on your mind.  
Come with me, we will go sit down and you may talk."  
Nausti followed the monk silently until they came to a bench in front of a beautiful pond  
full of carp. Her breath was taken away as she stared at the lovely sight. Never had she ever seen  
such a nice, tranquil spot in her life. "This temple, it's gorgeous."  
"Yes, for many years the monks of this temple have worked hard to preserve its beauty. It  
is a pity that few people stop to enjoy our work. I'm sure that you didn't come here just to admire  
the scenery, you have something much more serious on your mind. Please speak, my child."  
"I was just kind of wondering if what I've been doing is a good thing." She swallowed hard  
before continuing. "You see, the person living with me has been living in sin and hasn't paid for  
them yet, am I a bad person for not making this person pay for his sins?"  
"Well, did he hurt other people?"  
"Oh no, not physically. He has a good heart and he always tells me that he has a good  
reason for what he's doing."  
"And that is?"  
"I don't know."  
"Maybe you should turn in this person to the police and let him pay for his sins, there most  
be justice for his crimes against humanity."  
"That's the problem, I can't turn him in, for he is my younger brother. He is the only  
family I have left as I am his. How could I do such a thing to the person I raised almost by  
myself?"  
"I see," the monk nodded thoughtfully to himself. He pondered for a while before  
answering her. "The situation you're in is a very tricky one. In my own opinion I feel that you are  
not living in sin as long as you are not doing the kinds of things your sibling is doing."  
"Brother, could I have a word with you?" another monk came by and asked.  
"Please excuse me."  
"Of course," Nausti gave him a weak smile.  
The two monks walked into a small room. "What is this all about?"  
"Well, Brother, we have found a girl in the river. She is not well and might even die."  
"Then take care of her!"  
"It's not that simple. There is belief that she comes from the Sanada clan."  
"The Sanada clan!?" The monk looked at his fellow brother and understood his dilemma.  
That ninja clan was not approved by the monks of this temple and probably never would be for  
they killed for hire and refused to change their ways. They were not enemies, it was just that  
members of the Sanada clan were not allowed on the temple grounds. Biting his lip, the monk had  
no choice on what to do with the situation. "It is our duty to take care of her. However, once she is  
better and can move on her own, she has to leave the temple grounds or if another member of her  
clan shows up to get her."  
"Shall we notify the Sanada clan?"  
"No, it is better if we not. If she passes away though, then send the message to the clan, for  
they have a right to know if she's dead."  
"You're too kind, even to those the temple shuns."  
"This temple shuns no one, they just don't get along. I better go now, I was listening to a  
young lady."  
"Ah, the Good Brother getting a little friendly, huh?"  
"No! Of course not, it's not my fault that I always run into the cute ones," the monk gave  
his friend a wink and went back outside where Nausti was waiting patiently. "Please accept my  
apologies."  
"It's all right, it just gave me some time to think. Perhaps it's time that I talked to my  
brother and told him what's on my mind, to try to convince him to stop his ways. I'm very worried  
about him and what might happen to him. Well, thank you for listening," Nausti stood up. "I really  
needed to get some things off my chest."  
"It was my pleasure, I'm always happy to help," the monk stood up with her. "Come by  
again anytime my child. And tell your brother, the Torrent, that he needs to pay for his sins if he  
ever wants a pure soul."  
"How did you know?" Nausti gasped.  
The monk grinned, "I know a lot more than you think. Don't worry, everything that was  
said is just between you and me, Miss, um . . . I don't believe that I got your name."  
"Oh, I'm Mouri Nausti and you are?"  
"Call me the Good Brother Shu or just Shu."  
"Thank you again, Brother Shu, good bye." Nausti bowed deeply to him and he did the  
same.  
"Good bye, Nausti-san." Shu smiled as he watched the young lady leave the temple. She  
was a lovely woman with many things on her shoulders, actually, she was more than lovely, she  
was beautiful. Shaking his head, he left to go see if dinner was ready yet.  
  
  
  
Stormy blue eyes fluttered open to unfamiliar surroundings and filled with panic right  
away. Touma sat up, immediately regretting it, he was very dizzy and almost fainted again.  
Gripping the blanket draped over him, he fought to stay awake. He nearly cried, not knowing  
where he was, then Seiji's arms wrapped around him, holding him close.  
"Calm down, Touma-chan. We're in a hotel, I carried you the rest of the way to the town,"  
Seiji explained. Touma sighed, slumping against Seiji and stiffened once the blond asked, "Who's  
Kayura?"  
Touma pulled away from Seiji and shook his head furiously.  
"You have to tell me. How can I protect you if I don't even know who this person is?"  
Touma refused to tell him anything, still shaking his head until Seiji grabbed him roughly by the  
shoulders. "Touma, tell me. I need to know, please, tell me."  
Nodding, Touma made a sign that he needed his note pad and pencil. Seiji gave them to  
him and he began scribbling down on it instantly. Tears formed in his eyes as he wrote, making  
Seiji wonder how terrible this person was. After handing Seiji the note pad, Touma rested his head  
on Seiji's lap. On the paper it said "Kayura destroyed my village, my family escaped, but left me  
behind. I was taken prisoner with others. All of them killed by her later, except me. She kept me for  
years, beating and tormenting me. She very powerful, always get what she wants, cruel as hell.  
Likes making my life a living hell and then became convinced she's in love with me, still was cruel,  
still beat me, only worse. Then I escaped, never heard from her again, till now."  
Seiji knew that Touma wasn't telling him everything, however he didn't push the subject.  
Instead, he stretched out on the bed and was about to take a nap, his plan flew out the window  
when he felt soft lips caressed his throat and small hands beginning to undo the buckles at the sides  
of his cuirass that he never got around to taking off. Grinning, Seiji let Touma take off both his  
leather body armor and shirt, tossing then aside. Then he took charge as he flipped the younger boy  
onto his back and started tickling the squirming boy. Silent laughter escaped from Touma and they  
proceeded to make the best of a bad day.  
  
  
  
Who saved Ryo? Will the girl the monks saved stay alive long enough to tell who she is? Who is  
this freaking wizard that was never mention in this part? Why the fuck is Shu of all people a  
monk? What will Nausti do to convince Shin to quit his thieving ways? What is Shin's reason for  
being a thief? Where the hell was Shin? How come the only couple in this story is Seiji and  
Touma? Who the hell does this Kayura think she is, trying to steal Touma away from Seiji? What  
is Touma hiding from Seiji? What's up with all these Seiji and Touma questions? Why aren't you  
looking for the answers to these questions? Find out in Part III and many other parts of "The Paths  
We Take". 


	3. Part III

  
  
Part III  
  
Shin looked down at the unconscious boy worriedly, he had been out of it for three days now and he had a terrible fever. Not only was he concerned about this boy, Nausti was constantly on his mind as well. She left, walked out on him. She had the consideration to write him a nice note, saying that she would come back when he decided to change his ways. The note told him that she'd be at the temple, why she would go there, he had know idea. He knew this day would come and he had been dreading it since the day he became a thief. His older sister was only doing this out her love for him and she had every right to walk out like this, hell, Shin probably would've done it earlier if the roles had been reversed. Nausti didn't understand though, he didn't go around stealing money from people because he wanted to, he had a debt to pay off that their father left behind and he almost paid it all off. One more robbery, then he could pay off the ninja clan, he'd be forever free of the burden. Once Nausti was home again, Shin would feel more at ease and he kind of needed her to help him with this boy, but she knew nothing of him. Putting the cold washcloth back on the boy's forehead, Shin wondered how long it would take until the fever went down. He was curious as to where he came from and what was his name. The boy was very handsome, tanned skin, dark hair and when Shin first saw him, he got a glimpse of tiger blue eyes. He was in excellent shape too, otherwise, he probably would've drowned in the river.  
"W-Where am I?" a raspy voice asked.  
Looking down at the boy, Shin said softly, "You're at my house. Stay still, you're injured. Here drink this." He gave the boy a little bit of tea to sip on.  
When he was finished with his tea, he asked, "Where's Ikari? Did you find Ikari?"  
There was another one? Shin felt sorry for the boy, he had only found him and no one else. "I'm sorry, I only found you."  
Tears ran down the boy's cheeks. "Oh god, where is she?" There was silence until the boy stopped crying. He wiped his face and apologized. "Sorry about that, I'm sure she's all right, she's really tough. By the way, I'm Sanada Ryo."  
"Mouri Shin. Sanada, huh? You mean the ninja clan?"  
"Yeah."  
"Hm, I've had a few encounters with some friends of yours. Naaza's clan."  
"Naaza?! Naaza's still alive?! I thought that bastard was killed a long time ago," Ryo was shocked to hear that. Naaza's clan was a rival to his own, they were ninjas too, but their main weapon was poison. It had been rumored that the leader of the clan, Naaza, died ironically of his own poison, but apparently it had only been a rumor.  
"Well, last time I saw him he definitely wasn't dead, though I wish he was. So, what's a Sanada ninja doing around in these parts?"  
"Ikari, my best friend, and I are on our first job alone," Ryo smirked. "She was so excited about it, I hope I can find her in time to finish the job."  
Shin nodded, though he wasn't sure if he could agree with killing someone for money. Who was he to talk? He stole from people all the time and felt little guilt about it. "Out for someone's life?" he asked quietly.  
"No," Ryo shook his head. "This is a kidnapping, but I've only seen a picture of the person, don't know his name or anything, Ikari has all that information."  
Shin had to laugh at that, "If that's all you have, then I just have to say that you're screwed."  
Ryo chuckled too, knowing that Shin was right. He needed to find Ikari and then they could finish the job. The young ninja didn't think he'd be able to leave anytime soon though, his savior probably would want to keep him there for awhile until all of his injuries were healed. Blushing, Ryo thought of how the sea-blue eyed, young man saved him. It wasn't something that he had to do for Ryo, however he just did it. Not only that, Shin was also taking care of him that very minute.  
"Do you live here all alone?" Ryo couldn't believe that he just asked that, yet he had to know if Shin had a girlfriend.  
"My older sister used to live here, she's gone until I clean up my act."  
The ninja was about to say something, but a big yawn came out instead.  
"I think you need to get some more rest," Shin insisted.  
Ryo nodded and whispered, "Thank you, Shin-san." And drifted off to sleep.  
"Don't mention it, Ryo-kun," Shin replied quietly as he brushed the hair out of the sleeping boy's face.  
  
  
  
Touma had four good days of rest already and he was bouncing off the walls in the hotel, constantly hinting to Seiji that he wanted to get out. After two days of the blond babying him just because of his fainting spell, he finally got tired of it and needed to just to get outside. Seiji was wary to go right away, he still thought that the younger boy might need to take it easy for a little longer. Touma finally persuaded him that it was time to go when he wrote that Kayura might find them in that town if they stayed to long. That sold Seiji in an instant. Now instead of bouncing off the walls in a hotel room, he was bouncing along on the sidewalk at Seiji's side.  
Seiji could only shake his head, Touma could be such a child at times, although he found those moments to be incredibly sweet. Touma wanted to see the town before they left, where ever they went, he always managed to find something amusing about it. The blond could find nothing special about this town though, it was small, had some shops here and there, nothing that they haven't seen before. When Touma stopped moving all together, Seiji was instinctively concerned.  
"Are you feeling all right?" he asked, hoping that his companion was still in good health.  
There was a giant grin on Touma's face and he nodded, indicating he was just fine. He then pointed to the temple in front of them and made a sign to ask if they could go in.  
Seiji wondered what was so unique about this one, they had seen many temples before and Touma hardly ever paid attention to them. Still, how could Seiji say no when he was giving him the puppy dog eyes. Gods, he hated it when he caved like this, however he'd do anything just to get a smile on Touma's face. "All right, let's go in."  
Touma's grin widened and he gave Seiji a kiss on the lips before skipping down the path to the temple. He didn't even wait for Seiji to catch up with him, he just went inside.  
"May I help you?" a monk asked. Touma nodded, took out his note pad, wrote down what he wanted to say and showed it to the monk. The monk read the note and said, "Yes, the Good Brother is still here. Oh, there he is now. Brother! You have a visitor."  
Brother Shu looked towards the monk that was calling him. His eyes went directly to the blue haired boy standing next to the older monk. "Rowen-kun!?" Touma ran up to Shu and flung his arms around his neck, giving him a big hug. Shu eagerly returned the hug and gave the shorter boy a kiss on the cheek. After they pulled away, Shu examined his friend, "My goodness, you've changed a lot! Look at you! You're taller, you look a lot stronger and damn, your hair is a lot shorter. It's great to see you, Rowen-kun."  
Seiji bit his lip when he saw the monk give Touma a kiss, exactly who was this guy and how did he know Touma? He almost twitched every time he heard the monk call his Touma "Rowen-kun". Really, what kind of name was Rowen anyway? Granted Touma wasn't his real name, Seiji had given the name to the younger boy, but it was still a hell of a lot better than Rowen. He wondered what was this monk to Touma, were they just friends? Or were they more than that? Seiji winced as the monk held Touma's hands as he was talking to him. He cursed to himself when he noticed Touma leading the monk over to him.  
"Hello, I'm Brother Shu, but any friend of Rowen-kun's can call me Shu. And you are?"  
"Seiji," he replied in the most pleasant tone he could had at the moment. "And his name is Touma."  
"Forgive me, when he first came to this temple he had no name, so we started calling him Rowen. Sorry about that, Touma-kun," Shu smiled down at Touma and Seiji wanted to be sick. "How long are you two going to stay? I would love to be able to talk to Touma-kun for awhile."  
I bet you would, Seiji thought to himself. He wanted to say that they had to leave that second, but how could he say that when Touma was giving him the puppy dog eyes again? Sighing, he answered, "For as long as Touma-chan likes."  
"That's great! You guys can stay the night and we have a new cook for the time being. Dinner should be ready in an hour, let's talk till then." The monk took them to private room where they sat down and Touma and Shu caught up on each other's lives. Touma proudly showed his old friend that he could write, Shu seemed very impressed and that disgusted Seiji. The blond for the most part was silent during the whole conversation, not wanting anything to do with it. He forged interest as Shu told him how they met. When Touma was eleven, this was after his escape from Kayura, he ended up at the temple, needing help. Of course the monks took him in and the only person that was nearest to Touma's age was Shu. So they became really good friends and that's about when Seiji quit listening. He hated feeling jealous, but he just couldn't get the image of Shu giving Touma a kiss out of his head.  
Touma noticed that Seiji was acting strangely and gave his friend a uneasy glance, he had no idea what was wrong with the blond. Seiji was too quiet, sure he usually didn't say a lot, it was just that he was too quiet for Touma's liking. To Seiji's standards, he was being down right rude as a guest. The younger boy decided that he would have to wait till later that night to talk to his friend. Until then, he would finish up talking with Shu.  
"Brother Shu, dinner is ready," a young lady came into the room. "Oh, I didn't know you had company, I'm sorry."  
"It's all right, my dear. I'm starving right now and I just can't seem to get enough of your cooking." Shu stood up and introduced her. "Touma-kun, Seiji-san, this is Mouri Nausti, she's our new cook, or at least until she goes back home. Nausti-san, this is Touma, a good friend of mine and his friend, Seiji."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Nausti gave them a bow.  
"The pleasure is all mine," Seiji gave her a graceful bow.  
Touma glared quickly at Seiji, then smiled at Nausti. Dinner went by nicely enough, Touma could hardly eat though, with Seiji shamelessly flirting with Nausti. She would blush and giggle, Touma wanted to do nothing more than to shut her up. He would've screamed if he wasn't mute, that was probably one of the few advantages of not being able to talk, it prevented him, several times before, from saying things he'd regret later on.  
"I would like to talk some more, Touma-kun, but I have chores to finish and Nausti is going to bed," Shu said after dinner. "You and Seiji-san will have to share a room, but I assume that won't be much of a problem. I'll show you to the room."  
When they were in the room, Seiji took off his shoes and shirt and laid on the bed without a word to Touma. Sitting down next to the blond, Touma took his pad of paper and began to write. His hand hurt from writing for so long earlier that day, but he had to talk to Seiji and he had the feeling that the blond wouldn't pay any attention to his signs. He shoved the paper in Seiji's face and let him read it. "What's the matter?" it asked.  
"It's nothing," Seiji muttered.  
That wasn't the answer Touma was looking for. Scribbling down another message, he had Seiji read it. This one asked "What did I do wrong?"  
"Nothing, now go to sleep, Touma."  
"No, we have to talk about things," the next message said.  
Seiji took a deep breath. "If you want to, you can stay here with Shu."  
"Why would I do that?" Touma had wrote on the paper.  
"You just seem really close with Shu." The blond turned on his side, looking away from Touma.  
The younger boy grabbed Seiji's arm and jerked him so he was looking at him. Touma could be very strong when he wanted to. Taking the note pad with the next message on it, Seiji read this that was on it, "Shu is a brother to me. I love you, Seiji-kun, I want to be with you." Seiji sat up, rereading the last sentence over and over again. This was the first time either of them ever said anything like this.  
"Do you mean this, Touma-chan?" Seiji asked softly.  
Touma nodded and mouthed, "Yes." He would've tried to write something else down too, but Seiji claimed his lips in an aggressive kiss and Touma couldn't remember what he was thinking two seconds ago. Before he knew it, Seiji had pushed him down on the bed and started taking off his clothes.  
After Seiji undressed both of them, he looked over Touma's naked body. This was perfection, the lithe body, pale skin, stormy blue eyes, the blue, unruly hair and the beautiful soul that completed it all. Straddling Touma's slim waist, he ran his hand down the pale chest in front of him. "I love you too, Touma-chan, and I want you to always be at my side." Taking Touma's hand, he kissed his palm and moved his mouth down to his wrist. Giving his palm one more kiss, Seiji placed Touma's hand to rest on his thigh and ran his fingers through the short, blue hair. Grinning, he asked, "Is it a sin to have sex in a temple, Touma-chan?"  
Touma looked up at Seiji and made sure that the blond would be able to read his lips as he mouthed, "For tonight it's not."  
Lowering himself on his Touma-chan, he said right in Touma's ear, "That's good enough for me, my love."  
  
  
  
Waking up in Seiji's arms hours later, Touma laid completely still, forcing himself not to tense up. He could've sworn he heard someone talking to him, but he dismissed that off as a dream or Seiji was talking in his sleep again. It had to be early if Seiji wasn't awake, so he got comfortable again and shut his eyes.  
//Touma . . . I know you're in here somewhere. Come out, come out, where ever you are.//  
Opening his eyes right away, he knew that voice wasn't a dream or Seiji talking in his sleep.  
//You can't hide from me, I will find you.//  
That's when Touma realized what it was, he hadn't heard it in years, not since he escaped from Kayura. It was mind speech. But only people with magic could do use and hear it. He didn't think any of the monks had any and he doubted that Nausti did.  
//Who are you?// he demanded.  
//Come and find out, Touma.//  
Untangling himself from Seiji's arms, he made sure that Seiji was still asleep when he got out of the bed. He hurriedly put on a shirt and a pair of pants, he knew that it would take only a minute or two for Seiji to realize that he wasn't in bed, even in his sleep, Seiji was very overprotective. Now he knew that it was only because the blond loved him. After brushing a light kiss on Seiji's forehead, he got his staff and took something out of his pouch and put it in his pocket before leaving the room. Wandering down the halls of the temple, Touma listened for footsteps.  
//Where are you?// Touma asked.  
//Look to your left.//  
Turning to his left, he saw a figure standing in the hallway, smirking at him. //Who are you? And how do you know me?// he questioned.  
//That doesn't matter. You will succumb to me, NOW!//  
A sharp pain tore through Touma's mind, knocking him over. He grasped his head, trying to will the pain away.   
The figure started walking towards him, chuckling. //You aren't so tough, are you? Be a good little boy and come with me.//  
//SEIJI! Please . . . help me . . .//  
  
  
  
Is Ryo starting to have feelings for his savior? Is Shin starting to have feelings for the boy he saved? Would Shin make a good aggressor in a relationship with Ryo? Why Shu always so nice to Nausti? Why is the temple acting like a freaking hotel? Who is this person hurting our little Touma-chan? Is it Kayura? What will happen to Touma? Will Seiji come to save him? Why can't I write lemon scene with Seiji and Touma, or anyone for that matter? Do you people even read these questions? Find out in Part IV and many other parts in "The Paths We Take".  
  
  



	4. Part IV

Part IV  
  
Ryo slowly got out of bed, his body ached and he felt light headed. He had to get up, he  
knew his dreams were trying to tell him something. Growing up, he was taught by his  
grandmother to always listen to dreams and find out what they meant. Usually, Ryo didn't pay  
any attention to what went on in his subconscious when he was asleep, this time though, he had a  
really strong feeling that something was happening. No matter how much he wanted to ignore it,  
he couldn't, he would blame himself for the rest of his life if something did happen and he  
could've prevented it. It was a strange thought to the person who had killed others before.  
Leaning heavily on the wall, he painfully made his way to the door and took a hold of it. Just as  
he was about to open it, it opened by itself, causing Ryo to fall forward.  
"Ryo!" Shin gasped as he grabbed a hold of the ninja.  
Putting his hands on Shin's shoulders, Ryo straightened himself up. "We have to go."  
"What?"  
"I know this is going to sound really weird, but we have to go to a temple. I had this  
dream that something really big was going to happen and I don't think it's any good."  
"The temple?" Shin took in a sharp breath, remembering that the temple was where his  
sister was at. Staring into Ryo's tiger blue eyes, he found that he actually believed the ninja. And  
with his older sister at stake, he couldn't take any chances. "I'll go down and see what's going on  
over there. You get back to bed and relax."  
"No," Ryo shook his head stubbornly. "I'm going with you. Please, Shin, please."  
Shin would've preferred if Ryo stayed at the house, he still needed rest, however he  
found himself unable to say no to him. Anyway, it would probably be safer if he took Ryo with  
him, with Shin gone, anyone could basically waltz into the house. "Let's get going."  
"Thanks, Shin, for believing me," Ryo smiled softly at the older man.  
They walked hastily through the dense forest, Ryo had an arm around Shin's shoulders,  
using him for support and relied on Shin's knowledge of the forest to get them there. Even  
though it was night, Shin moved through the woodland as if it were a bright and sunny day,  
knowing the trails like the back of his hand. Ryo didn't know that Shin was hardly even thinking  
about the forest he was guiding them through, his thoughts were about the dark haired ninja right  
next to him. Ryo, took the silence the wrong way though, wondering if the kind man who saved  
him was actually digusted with him.  
"Shin, do you regret saving me?"  
"No, why would you say that?" Shin was shocked by the question that was asked.  
"Because, I'm a Sanada ninja, I've killed people before for money, just like my father  
before me and his father before him." The young ninja suddenly felt a wave of guilt, as if he was  
just comprehending that he took the lives of innocent people.  
"I can't blame you for what you are. I think my sister, Nausti, put it in the best words a  
few years ago. She told me that we all take different paths in life, sometimes we don't exactly  
take the best paths there are. We just have to learn from mistakes and take what we think is the  
best way. I know I have to correct my own path."  
"You?" Ryo raised an eyebrow. "What could you have done wrong? You told me your  
sister left until you cleaned up your act, but I can't imagine you doing something that bad."  
Shin snickered, "You don't know me very well. I'm a thief, they call me the Torrent."  
"I've heard about you! No has ever caught you before. We've gotten job offers to catch  
you, but my grandfather isn't that stupid, he knows that it'd be a blue moon before anyone could  
get you. You seem too kind to be a thief, though."  
"And you seem too gentle to be a Sanada ninja."  
"I guess people aren't always the way they appear. Shin, do you think there's still time  
for me to change my path?"  
Shin smiled sincerely at Ryo, "Yes, there's plenty of time."  
  
  
  
Seiji felt that something was wrong. The space next to him in bed was empty, when  
Touma should've been there. Getting out of bed, he noticed that Touma's staff and his clothes  
were missing, something was diffently not right.  
//SEIJI! Please . . . help me . . .//  
The blond was startled by the sudden voice in his head, he had never heard it before in  
his life. Getting dressed and snatching his sword, he ran out of the room, knowing that Touma  
had to be in some kind of danger. Going out into the hallway, he only had to go a few steps  
before he spotted Touma on the ground, evidently in pain and a shadowy figure standing over  
him. Without another thought, he made a dash towards the figure. The person was caught off  
guard when they saw Seiji charging them, but they were able to move out of the in time, their  
robe getting sliced by the blond's sword.  
"Touma, are you all right?" Seiji knelt down next to Touma.  
The pain in Touma's mind went away, the person's hold on him was released when Seiji  
came. Resting his hand on Seiji's shoulder, he smiled and nodded. Getting back up on his feet,  
Touma glared at the person in front of him. He stepped in front of his love, though Seiji was  
stronger than he was, his skills as a swordsman would not help them now. It was Touma's turn to  
protect him, this was his fight and he wouldn't allow Seiji to get hurt. Glancing at the blond, he  
made a quick sign to his love to stay back.  
//Who are you?// Touma asked again.  
"I am Ikari, a Sanada ninja," the person answered.  
"What do you want with Touma?" Seiji wanted to know.  
"I have orders to take him, but he's being stubborn about it," Ikari smirked.  
"Touma, let me take care of her," but all Seiji got back was another sign for him to stay  
back.  
"Touma knows that you couldn't do anything to me," she remarked. "You can't fight  
magic with ordanary fighting skills."  
"The Sanada ninja clan doesn't believe in any type of magic, how can you be apart of  
their clan?" challenged Seiji.  
"I'm adopted, they never knew a thing about this. Enough stalling. I suggest that you  
come with me, Touma, your powers are nothing against mine."  
Keeping a good grip on his staff, Touma continued to glare at her. There was no way he  
was going anywhere with her without a good fight.  
"Have it your way," she sneered. The temple began to shake as Ikari began summoning  
her full powers to her. The occupants of the temple all came rushing out to see what was  
happening, they were all stunned to see that a fight was about to begin there of all places.  
"Wait! Stop!" a monk shouted, getting in between Ikari and Touma. "If you must fight,  
do it outside, this is a sacred place, there is to be not fighting in here."  
//There's too many people in here, it's me you want, let's go outside.// Touma said  
mentally to Ikari.  
//All right, I owe these monks, outside it is.// Ikari went towards the nearest exist, her  
feet inches off the ground, Touma followed her, his feet were inches off the ground as well. Once  
they were in the pasture behind the temple, Ikari finished summoning her full powers. //It's going  
to be hard to hurt such a pretty face.//  
//I know it is, but at least I don't have that problem.//  
Without warning, Ikari threw her first attack. Touma narrowed his eyes, he was very  
aware of the ice shards coming at him, but he was relieved. Ikari's element was ice, it wasn't that  
tough of an element to beat. Stretching one arm out in front of him, he moved his hand so that it  
was vertical instead of horizontal with the rest of his arm. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on  
his power and a dark blue shield surrounded him, blocking the attack.  
Seiji ran outside, he had to see if Touma was all right. He came out in time to see a dark  
blue bubble surround Touma and dangerous looking shards of ice shattered harmlessly on  
impact. This was amazing for the blond to see, he had no idea that Touma could do things like  
this. Staying a good distance away, Seiji watched the fight in awe. Shu and Nausti came outside  
and stood next to Seiji, they really couldn't believe what they were seeing.  
"Is there any way to help Touma-san?" Nausti asked.  
Shu shook his head, "Unless we knew any magic, there's nothing we can do. All we can  
do is pray that he wins."  
"Of course he'll win," Seiji snapped. "Touma-chan always comes through."  
Ikari used the same attack again, this time it was stronger than the first, but again, it  
shattered harmlessly against the shield. Knowing that simple shards of ice weren't going to do  
the trick, she took out her katana and charged him. Touma just barely made it in time to block the  
blow with his staff. He found himself on the defensive as she used every ounce of her skills as a  
ninja. Gritting his teeth, he wished that his shield could protect him from physical attacks instead  
of only magic, to able to do that, he'd have to summon his full powers.  
"ICE STRIKE!"  
Touma's eye widened and he jumped out of the way. He looked nervously at the spot he  
was standing on, it was now totally covered in ice. This girl had more talent than he thought  
origionally. If he was going to beat her, he'd have to use everything he had. Jumping back to a  
safer distance, Touma put his staff on the ground in front of him and went to his knees.  
"Giving up already?" Ikari smiled wickedly.  
"What're you doing, love?" Seiji whispered, he wished he knew what was going on.  
Touma couldn't give up, he was too stubborn to do anything like that.  
Reaching into his pocket, Touma withdrew a small, reed flute and brought it to his lips.  
He played a soft, sweet meoldy and the stars above looked like they were beginning to shine  
brighter. //I call upon Tenku, protector of firmament, keeper of the stars, guardian of space. I ask  
for your power, I ask for your help. I beg of you, do not forsake me now.// When he completed  
the song and put the reed flute away, he knew that the stars had responded to him, giving him  
some power, but he feared that Tenku might choose to ignore him.  
"What are you doing?" Ikari growled. Taking advantage of the situation, she prepared  
another attack. Running up to him, she leapt into the air and raised her katana to strike him down.  
Touma sat there, his eyes closed as though he was unaware of what was going on.  
"Why isn't he doing anything?!" Shu clenched his fists and Nausti buried her face in his  
shoulder.  
"TOUMA!" Seiji yelled in horror as Touma did nothing to defend himself. The blond  
almost went over there to help him, but Ikari's scream stopped him.  
When Ikari was coming in for her attack, a shield rose up and sent her back about ten  
feet. "Impossible, it was a physical attack, there was no way you could've used a shield on that."  
"Touma might have not been able to, but I can." A deep voice came from the still  
kneeling boy. His eyes snapped open, they weren't their usual stormy blue, they were now a  
midnight blue.  
"Touma?" Seiji was shocked to hear Touma speak, though it was not his own. He was  
sure that the voice he heard in the bedroom was Touma's voice and this was not it.  
"Who the hell are you?" the ninja demanded.  
"I am Tenku." He got to his feet and stared at the girl.  
"Whoever you are, I will still complete my job. You have not yet seen the extent of my  
strength." She got back into a fighting stance, concentrating hard on her element, ice soon  
covered the blade of her katana. Using every trick she knew, she went after him, lashing out at  
the boy. It infuriated her when he dodged each attack with very little effort, he didn't even break  
a sweat. "Stay still!" Ikari swung her blade again, this time he didn't try to avoid it. Another  
shield came up, protecting him. Taking a few steps back, Ikari snapped, "If you think I'm the  
least bit impressed, I'm not. Touma, do you really think Tenku will help you any? I will show my  
you true strength. I'd like to see you block this attack with a shield."  
"Show me your strength," Tenku challenged.  
"FREEZING DRAGON!" A huge dragon rose up into the air, its roar shook the earth and  
watchers were all too scared to make a sound.  
Tenku looked annoyed, "This is the power you were bragging about? Don't mock me."  
The dragon then took a nose-dive, going straight for Touma's body. Its giant jaws opened  
and rows of sharp teeth were visible. Tenku looked at it with no expression on his face. In his  
hand appeared a gold bow and in the other a matching arrow. Quickly notching the arrow into the  
bow, he took careful aim and let the arrow fly. It embedded itself right between the eyes of the  
dragon, causing the over grown lizard to stop in its tracks. Cracks began to emerge and the ice  
dragon was dismembered.  
"Your ice lizard is nothing compared to the heavens," Tenku's voice was flat and void of  
emotion. Another arrow came to him and he notched it into the bow. "SHIN KU HA!"  
Even with her remarkable speed, Ikari didn't have a chance to move out of the way.  
  
  
  
"Shit! What the hell is that?!" Shin stared into the sky in disbelief. There was a gigantic  
dragon in the sky and it started moving towards the ground.  
Ryo's mouth hung open, he was just as bewildered as Shin was. Then it stopped and  
shattered into billions of pieces. "Whatever it was, it's gone now. Shin, we have to hurry!"  
Half dragging the still injured Ryo through the forest, he came to a stop as they entered  
the pasture. There was a young boy standing there, a gold bow in his hands and girl laying on the  
ground, he wasn't even sure if she was still alive. Off in the distance there was some people  
standing there, watching and as shocked as he was. He felt Ryo let go of him and took a few  
steps forward before running towards the girl. The ninja half knelt, half collasped next to her,  
tears running down his face.  
"Ikari, please wake up, Ikari," he begged, blood was coming out of the corner of her  
mouth and an arrow was embedded in her stomach. He carefully took out the arrow from her  
body, tore off a piece of his shirt and wrapped around the wound, the crimson fluid slicking his  
hands as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding. Shin crouched down next to him, checking her  
pulse, he could feel a one, not too faint, yet not as strong as it could be. "Sh-Shin, we have to get  
her help, we have to get help. I-I can't let her die, she's a sister to me."  
"She won't die," a stern voice said.  
Ryo glowered at him, "You! You did this to her!"  
The boy showed no indication that he heard Ryo. "I weakened my attack so it wouldn't  
kill her. She's more powerful than you give her credit."  
"Who are you?" asked Shin, he was holding Ryo so the ninja wouldn't try to attack this  
guy.  
"I am Tenku, the body is Touma."  
"What the fuck?" Ryo had no clue what this guy was talking about, all he wanted to do  
was to slam his fist into his face.  
"You're the spirit of the firmament. Nausti used to tell me stories about you and other  
spirits. How can this boy, Touma, summon you? It's not possible for a human to do that, or so I  
thought," said Shin.  
Tenku didn't answer, he bent over a took a small sample of Ikari's blood on one of his  
fingers. Inspecting it closely, he shook his head and wiped his hand on the grass. "Now I know  
where she got her powers, she's the child of Kayura."  
"You know Ikari's mother?" asked Ryo, still angry at Tenku.  
"Shin!" Nausti ran up to her little brother. "Shin, what're you doing here?"  
Letting go of Ryo, Shin hugged his sister tightly, which was a big mistake, for Ryo  
lunged at Tenku. Before the ninja could touch the other boy, he was jerked back by a tall blond.  
"Don't you dare lay a finger on him," the blond growled.  
"Let go of me," hissed Ryo.  
"Excuse me," a monk walked up to them, "I think that maybe we should talk get this girl  
inside and, um, keep her away from Touma-kun and then we can talk."  
  
  
  
In the darkest chamber of the castle, a figure sat on the throne, chuckling wickedly.  
"Well, well, well, things have taken an interesting turn, I must say. I always knew my favorite pet  
could summon Tenku. I'll have the most fun with him once I get him back. And don't worry, my  
dear Yami, your little blond will be given to you in one piece, I just want to use him to toy with  
my pet first. Anyway, have you heard from Naaza?"  
"He's still hunting down the Torrent, the boy is late in his last payment," Yami replied.  
"Naaza will return once he has taken care of the Torrent, Lady Kayura."  
"Good, I want a big, happy reunion when I get my pet back."  
  
  
  
What the fuck was that!? What was I smoking when I wrote this? Anyway, let's get on with the  
usual questions, shall we? Is Ryo going to try to kill Touma since he/Tenku hurt Ikari? Will the  
ninja be able to get past the blond to do that? Why does Shu want to talk? Doesn't he usually  
want to beat up people first? What does Kayura have in plans for Touma and Seiji? When will  
Shin and Ryo get it on? When will Shu and Nausti get it on? Can't you so totally tell the sexual  
tension between them all, even though it's not that obvious?! Find out in Part V and many other  
parts in "The Paths We Take".  



	5. Part V

Part V  
  
Ryo leaned into the shoulder rub that Shin was giving him, it was helping calm him  
down some. They were waiting for the monk to come back and tell them how Ikari was doing.  
His mind was on Ikari and the damned boy who hurt her. The more he thought about it, he began  
to realize that the boy was the guy in the picture Ikari had showed him. This Tenku or Touma,  
whoever he was, was the guy he and Ikari was supposed to abduct. That explained why he had  
attacked Ikari. It surprised him that the wizard was able to take down a Sanada ninja so easily,  
there didn't seem to be a scratch on him, that bothered Ryo. If Ikari couldn't even get him, did he  
have a chance? How would they complete the job if they couldn't touch him? And there was that  
blond, he had caught Ryo off guard. Was the blond a bodyguard of the wizard's? No, the look in  
the blond's eyes told him that they were more than friends, maybe even lovers. His heart  
quickened, could he take away someone's lover? Yes, he had done it before, he just never really  
thought about until now, until he met Shin. Shin. Gods, how he'd love to have Shin look at him  
the way the blond was looking at the wizard. Could something work out between them? Both of  
their lives were pretty hectic and both put their lives on risk. If Shin were ever to be caught,  
they'd probably execute him . . .  
"Are you all right?" Shin asked softly when all of a sudden the muscles in Ryo's  
shoulders tensed up.  
"I just realized that the guy who hurt Ikari is the guy we have to kidnap," Ryo felt a little  
bad, he wasn't exactly lying and he wasn't exactly telling the truth.  
"So, he was defending himself, at least he has a reason for attacking her." Shin mused  
out loud. He wanted badly to ask Ryo is he was still going to do it or if he was going to try  
change his ways, he never asked though, he felt that it wasn't really any of his business. "I don't  
think it'd be a good idea to try to go after him right now, you might end up like your friend. And  
that blond looks to be pretty hard to get by, I really wouldn't want to cross him on one of his bad  
days."  
Ryo nodded silently, then said, "She told me this guy was a wizard, I didn't think he'd be  
that powerful. Do you think he was the person who made that dragon we saw?"  
"I don't know," Shin admitted. "Kayura . . . he said your friend is her child and Kayura is  
a very powerful sorceress, it could be possible that it was Ikari who made it."  
"No, she doesn't even know who her parents are, she's an orphan. Plus, the Sanada clan  
doesn't use any magic, where would she learn how to use it?" he refused to believe that Ikari  
would break one of the rules of the Sanada clan. Sooner or later, he was going to have to go after  
the wizard, yet could he? If he did, then Shin might be sickened by him and his low value for  
other people. Sure, Shin was a thief, but he never heard of the Torrent killing anyone or taking  
someone hostage, he could tell that Shin wanted to change his ways. Did he ask Shin if there was  
still time for him to change? Yes, he did. When he had asked that, he could see hope shining in  
the older boy's eyes, he didn't want to let Shin down. Then there was the issue of his clan, could  
he betray his own family? Ikari. This meant a lot to Ikari, he would never want to hurt her. Did he  
want to keep his loyalty to his family or give it to Shin? Shin, Shin, Shin, Shin, gods what was  
wrong with him?! Ever since he met the older boy, that's where his mind would wander off to.  
Those sea-blue eyes and auburn hair. He had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life. He  
didn't think that Shin was seeing anyone, it would be kind of difficult to keep a relationship with  
someone and be the most wanted thief at the same time. Maybe Shin would make an exception  
for Ryo, he would never turn Shin in to the police, not if his life depended on it. And one of these  
days, Shin would become an honest man and so would Ryo, he would do it for the older boy.  
Ryo wanted so badly to be with him, he just didn't know if he could turn his back on his family.  
One of these days he was supposed to become the head of the clan. Right now he wouldn't make  
a good leader, he was so confused with his emotions and what he had to do for the people who  
raised him.  
"Ryo-kun, you know that you can always stay with me if you want," Shin offered, his  
voice very gentle. "If you don't want to do this job, you can stay with me."  
Ryo's mouth went dry, he wasn't sure if he should take Shin up on his offer or not.  
"Of course, even if you do still do your job, you're always welcome in my home." Shin  
couldn't hold it back any longer, he had to ask. "Are you still going to do it?"  
"I . . . I-I d-don't know," he hardly got the words out. "Do you want me to?"  
Shin was taken back, he really didn't expect this. He had to answer truthfully. "No."  
"Then I don't think I'll be able to do the job. Not if you don't want me to."  
Without thinking, Shin gave Ryo a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."  
  
  
  
Searching through the halls of the temple, Seiji scolded himself for loosing sight of  
Touma. After they took the girl inside the temple and settled in the room she had been using, his  
lover slipped from his sight. The foyers were dark, it was still about an hour until dawn, so there  
was hardly any light. Some of the corridors were dimly lit with some candles, that was it.  
Keeping his hand on the wall, Seiji guided himself, he was getting worried about the younger  
boy, for all he knew Touma could've been beaten, abducted or lost. Spotting a person sitting on  
the ground, leaning against the wall, he walked closer to them and found that it was Touma, or  
rather Tenku, even in the darkness, he could feel that it wasn't really Touma who was present.  
Sitting down next to Tenku, they sat in silence for a few, long minutes.  
"He loves you very much," Tenku murmured. "Touma is forever grateful for all you've  
done for him."  
"Going through his memories?"  
"Only because he allows me to." Tenku sighed, "I remember the first this boy summoned  
me, he was very young. His throat had been slashed severely by one of the villagers, neither of us  
know why it happened though. Touma was dying and there was no one to help him. He begged  
for someone to save him, the heavens ended up answering his cry. Using what little healing  
powers I was able to borrow from Kourin, I healed his throat, but the damage was done, he lost  
usage of his vocal cords."  
"Wouldn't he have died then?"  
Tenku shrugged and grinned, "Okay, so I tampered with fate and gave the boy a second  
chance at life, what's so wrong with that? I don't hear you complaining about it, from what I can  
tell, you two are very close. After I gave him a second chance at life, he became lost, his village  
had been destroyed and Kayura had taken him," all of Tenku's good humor had vanished and he  
clenched his fist. "I hate that bitch for what she did to him, I would've helped him, he never  
summoned me during that time though, consequently I couldn't help. He was afraid that Kayura  
might be more powerful than me and what she might do if she knew he could summon me. When  
he escaped, I couldn't have been more proud of him, he's a very intelligent boy. He then came to  
the temple. He didn't stay long, he was too afraid that she would find him. Then he ran into you,"  
the smile reappeared on both their faces. "That's when life started to go right for him, for both of  
you."   
"Now these are some memories I enjoy hearing about."  
"Yes, I've watched him closely over the years. I know I don't need to go through his own  
memories to know what happened, I just enjoy knowing what he was thinking and feeling at the  
time."  
"I know I have no right to ask, but what were his first thoughts about me?"  
Tenku chuckled. "At first he was very frustrated, because you had no clue what he was  
trying to tell you. Later on, he couldn't help noting how lovely the color of your eyes are and  
how your hair reminds him of sunshine. Even mute sorcerers have their romantic side, it's just a  
shame that he keeps it all inside of him. He loves you, more than you'll ever know." Resting his  
head on Seiji's shoulder and closing his eyes, he whispered, "Be good to Touma and he'll always  
be good to you. Also, remember that Kourin is at your side when you need him."  
"Tenku?" Seiji was surprised by that last statement. "Who's Kourin? Tenku?"  
He opened his eyes again, were no longer a midnight blue of Tenku, they were now the  
stormy blue that Seiji never got tired of seeing. A small smile graced Touma's lips before he  
closed his eyes again.  
"Touma . . ." hugging Touma, he let the boy fall asleep, know he must've been  
exhausted. Picking him up, he carried his lover down to the room they were sharing. Setting the  
boy down on the bed, Seiji laid down next to him. "Sleep well, my love."  
  
  
  
There was something coming, Shu could sense it. The itch just to go out and find out  
what was out there was bugging the hell out of him. Being the Good Brother, he was usually a  
peaceful person, however he always had the urge to go into action instead of just talking and  
planning things out, that was too boring. It was a good thing he was well disciplined, or he  
probably wouldn't have the title "Good Brother Shu". Pacing about the room, he glanced now  
and then at the motionless girl resting on the bed, at least she was alive, he didn't think she  
would've survived after Tenku's last attack. Checking the girl one more time, he left the room  
and just started walking, needing to do something to keep his mind off of things. That feeling  
kept bothering him. It was times like this that he cursed himself for being a monk, of all the  
things he could've done, he chose to lead a peaceful life, what was the fun in that? He wanted to  
get into a fight, fighting was always fun for him when he was a kid, what was even better was  
that he always won. He was a monk now, he couldn't resort to such violence. Once Touma and  
Seiji were up, they'd all have to talk, no matter how boring it was.  
"Brother Shu," one of the monks called.  
"What is it?" Shu went over to his friend.  
"One of the other Brothers has spotted someone nearby the pasture and all of your  
friends are accounted for."  
"Hm, I'll go check it out. Will you go down and find Ryo-san, tell him that his friend is  
doing just fine."  
"All right," the monk disappeared down the hall.  
Grinning from ear to ear, Shu went towards the door that led to the pasture. He noticed  
Touma's staff leaning against the wall and took it just encase. Going outside, he looked around,  
the first rays of dawn were starting peek out of the east and everything looked as normal as can  
be. Things just didn't feel normal.  
"Hi," a tall man with green hair came into sight. "I was wondering if a friend of mine  
was here, his name is Mouri Shin."  
"And you are?" Shu didn't trust this guy, whoever he was.  
"I'm called Naaza."  
Shu smirked, "The leader of the Doku ninjas, huh? Last time I heard, the Dokus and the  
Mouris were enemies."  
Naaza smirked, "You're smarter than you look. Just stand aside and don't get in my  
way."  
"Sorry, I can't do that."   
Shu jumped out of the way as Naaza tried to stab him with a dagger. He had to be  
careful, the blade was most likely poisoned, just a nick would probably kill him. Shu gasped as  
the blade almost touched his skin and with sharp reflexes, he shoved the butt of the staff into  
Naaza's stomach, driving the older man back some. Naaza was more agile, getting the upper  
hand over Shu, but the young monk wasn't about to give up anytime soon. Much to his relief, he  
was able to knock the dagger out of Naaza's hand, then the ninja leader just took out another one.  
"Damn, how many of those do you have?" muttered Shu, barely avoiding the blade  
again.  
"As many as it'll take to kill you," the older man grinned. Finally he was able to slash the  
skin of Shu's cheek, blood slowly ran down his face. As if to make sure that he was actually hit,  
Shu brought his hand up to his cheek and felt his sticky, warm blood on his fingers. Naaza  
laughed, "Any second now, my poison will take affect and kill you."  
Fear gripped Shu as he prepared to face the worst. The two men stared at each other, the  
monk glaring and the ninja leader smirking. A few seconds turned into a few minutes, both were  
waiting for Shu to drop dead. The monk then had to ask, "Are you sure that there was poison on  
that blade?"  
Naaza looked at the dagger in his hand and checked, sure enough, the blade was clean.  
"God damn it! This is the last time I let Kayura play with my daggers!"  
"So, it's not poisoned?"  
"What do you think?! Well, this isn't a problem, I'll just have to drive this through your  
heart!"  
"Stop it! It's me you want!" a voice shouted.  
Naaza whipped his head over to where the voice came from, that was a big mistake.  
Right when his head was turned, Shu swung the staff, hitting Naaza in the back of the head and  
he dropped to the ground unconscious.  
Shu smiled over at Shin, "Thanks, you made a great distraction."  
"Um, you're welcome. I just wanted to talk to you, instead I find you fighting one of my  
greatest enemies. I guess we should get him tied up."  
"That would be wise," agreed the monk. "There's an empty room we can lock him up  
in." Once the leader of the Doku ninjas was securely locked in an empty room, Shu asked Shin  
what he wanted to talk about.  
"I just needed to tell you that Ikari, Ryo's friend, has woken up, Ryo's with her right  
now. You might want to get Touma and the blond out of here, before Ikari is fully healed and  
trust me, if she knows magic, then she can heal pretty damn fast."  
  
  
  
"Naaza, that moron, he's so stupid for turning his head like that, leaving himself open for  
an attack," Kayura mumbled to herself. "Rajura! Show yourself!"  
"You called me, Lady Kayura," Rajura stood in front of the throne, annoyed that he  
interrupted during some 'quality time' with Anubis, also known as Yami.  
"I want you to get rid of Naaza, I want to make him into an example just like Shuten, and  
bring me the blond!"  
Rajura lifted an eyebrow, "I thought you wanted 'your pet' back, am I right?"  
"The blond is bait," snapped Kayura.  
"Why don't I just kill Naaza and then I'll bring you that boy you like so much."  
"No!" she whined. "I want him to suffer first. You're a simple minded man, you'd never  
understand the fine points of torturing someone."  
"Fine," Rajura sighed as he walked out of the room. "She's over four hundred years old,  
but she has to mind of a twelve year old. Damn, next year I'm retiring."  
  
  
  
How did Ryo react to the kiss Shin gave him? Why did it take so long to get that tiny bit of action  
out of those two? How long will it take for Shu and Nausti? Where the fuck was Nausti? What  
will Ikari say to Ryo when she finds out he probably won't be able to do the job? What was the  
whole point of Tenku telling Seiji about Touma's past? Was it just to take up space? Why is  
Kayura so damn annoying? Do you people want to see her die a bloody death? Or should  
something else happen to her? Why am I letting these questions get too long? Find out in Part VI  
and many other parts of "The Paths We Take".  



	6. Part VI

Part VI  
  
Ryo sat at Ikari's side, neither of them speaking. It should've been a joyous occasion, he  
should've given her a big hug, told her how much he was worried about her and that he had never  
been so happy to see her. None of that happened. Part of him wanted to yell at her for using  
magic, such a thing was forbidden by the Sanada clan. It didn't matter that she was adopted, she  
was apart of the clan and had to obey its laws. Another part of him wanted to cry, to tell her that  
he couldn't finish the job with her and beg for her forgiveness. He couldn't bring himself to do  
either of them. Ryo would hate to yell at her and would hate it even more to disappoint her.   
His emotions were still on the edge. Shin had kissed him, him of all people. Blood would  
rush to his face just thinking of how those soft lips felt on his cheek. Ryo wondered what Shin  
would've said after that if the monk didn't come rushing in to tell them that Ikari was awake.  
Right when he was done with Ikari, he had to talk to Shin and ask him if he had any feelings for  
him. Ryo hoped that Shin wouldn't reject him, the more and more he thought about it, the more  
he was convinced that Shin was worth giving up his family. It would be difficult to break the ties  
with the Sanada clan, but it could be done. He was glad that Shin wasn't there with him then, he  
didn't think he could handle breaking the news to Ikari with him there.  
"Ryo," Ikari broke the silence.  
"Yes?"  
"The boy, Touma, he's the person we have to kidnap."  
He couldn't say anything to his friend, he didn't know how to break it to her that he  
couldn't continue as a ninja anymore.  
"You're a much better fighter than I am," Ikari went on, taking Ryo's hand. "You have to  
be quick, physically, Touma is nothing compared to you, you can take him down easily. Just  
don't let him summon Tenku, he's packs quite a punch with that damned spirit. We have to finish  
this, please don't let me down."  
"Ikari, I don't think," Ryo paused, not sure if he could go on. "I don't think, I mean, I  
can't do this," the last words were hardly even a whisper.  
Ikari's eyes widened, she didn't know if she heard him right. "What did you say?"  
"I can't be a ninja anymore, Ikari, I'm going to break the ties to my family."  
"Why?" Ikari was wondering if Ryo had hit his head or something when he was in the  
river, there was no way that this was the boy she looked up to as a brother, there was no way.  
That was a good question that Ikari had asked and Ryo only had one answer. "Because I  
think I'm in love."  
  
  
  
He hoped this wasn't becoming a habit. When Seiji woke up, Touma was gone again. At  
least this time he didn't have the strange impression that Touma was in any danger, so he didn't  
panic, just kind of surprised that he left without waking up Seiji first. He didn't feel comfortable  
about Touma wandering around by himself with that bitch Kayura after him and that Ikari girl,  
she was a threat too. Leaving the room, he didn't have to go far before he spotted Touma walking  
down the hall. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder, his hair falling into his face in an  
adorable way. Seiji was about to go over to him when all of a sudden he stopped. The blond  
looked intensely at the boy in front of him. This wasn't right.  
"Who the hell are you?" Seiji demanded, his eyes turned from violet to an icy blue.   
The boy lifted an eyebrow in question, as if he didn't know what Seiji was talking about.  
"Don't act all innocent! You aren't my Touma, so who the hell are you?!" He couldn't  
figure out what was going on, could it be that there was another spirit in Touma? That could be  
it, but it certainty wasn't Tenku. He knew Tenku would've said something to him by now. The  
way the person stood was too stiff to be Touma and he kept on brushing away the lock of hair  
between his eyes, as if he wasn't used to it being there.  
"I didn't think I could fool you," the boy said. A young looking man with white hair and  
only one eye took the place of the boy who looked like Touma.  
Seiji's hand went right to where his sword would've been, if he hadn't left it in the room  
he and Touma had been using. "It was an illusion. Did you use magic? Or just a ninja trick?"  
"I assure you that I have nothing to do with ninjas."  
"Oh! Who're you?" Nausti had walked into the foyer, staring at the new person.  
"Nausti-san! Get the hell out of here!" Seiji yelled at her, it was too late. The man  
grabbed her by the hair and held a sword up to her neck.  
"This is nice, a hostage that walks right into my hands," the man grinned. "If you don't  
want to see the girl get hurt, you'll come with me- OWWW!" he cried out in pain as Nausti  
managed to hit him in the ribs and got out of his grasp.  
"What do you think I am? Some poor defenseless girl who can't hold her own!? Sorry  
mister, but you aren't the sister to a thief if you don't learn anything. And this is for tugging my  
hair!" Nausti punched him right across the face, causing the man to fall flat on his ass.  
"Damn, that was pretty cool, Nausti-san."  
"I know. So, who are you and why do you want Seiji? Yes, he is a fine piece of man, but  
I'd hate to break it to you, he isn't good enough to threaten someone's life over!"  
"Thanks, Nausti-san," Seiji mumbled. What would she know?! They didn't even know  
each other for a day and she was already commenting about him in that way! What was she  
trying to suggest anyway?!  
"What the fuck is going on here?" Shu was surprised to see a stranger spiraled on the  
floor with Nausti standing over him and Seiji behind of her. Touma was just as startled, though  
he was more shocked to see the man, who was no stranger to him.  
"No, no, no, dear boy, I'm not after you," the man chuckled at Touma's expression. "I'm  
after your boyfriend!" He then shoved Nausti aside and grabbed Seiji.  
"TOUMA!"  
Touma sprang forward and snatched the sleeve of Seiji's shirt, hoping that he could tear  
the blond out of the man's grasp before it was too late. He felt a numbing pain in his heart as the  
man teleported out of the temple with Seiji. In his hand was a scrap of fabric from the blond's  
sleeve that got torn off as the man left with his love. For the next couple of seconds, all anyone  
could do was stare at the spot where the two men just were. Touma then fell to his knees,  
clutching the piece of fabric to his chest and sobbed.  
//No, no, NO!// Touma screamed in his mind. //Seiji . . . I'm so sorry . . . I would've  
never even asked you for help if I thought that she might go after you instead of just me. Rajura,  
you bastard! I'll get you and Kayura for this! I'm not going to let Seiji go through what I did!  
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS, KAYURA!//  
"What happened?" Shin asked softly, noticing Touma on the ground crying.  
"The blond, Seiji-san, has been kidnapped," Nausti informed her younger brother.  
"Don't worry, Touma-kun, we'll get him back," Shu tried to reassure his friend as he  
tried to pull him in for a hug, Touma just pushed him away.   
Standing up, Touma wiped his eyes and ran to the room they had been using. Slamming  
the door behind him, he tore off his clothes and put on a fresh set. Snatching his boots, he tugged  
them on and then he put on Seiji's cuirass. It was a bit big, but his own leather armor only went  
down to his chest. The scrape of cloth from Seiji's shirt was tucked safely in his pants pocket and  
he strapped Seiji's sword to his back, almost falling over, not expecting it to be that heavy. He  
slipped on his robe over all of that and slung his pouch over his shoulder. Double checking to  
make sure that he had his dagger and everything he needed. Going back out into the halls, he got  
his staff back from Shu and stormed off towards the nearest exit. Seiji had always protected him  
from the first day they met, now Touma had to save him and protect him.  
"Touma-san, where are you going!? Do you even know where Seiji-san is?" Nausti  
questioned.  
Touma ignored her, he didn't want anyone else to get involved in this. The sound of a  
door slamming echoed as Touma left.  
"Touma-san!"  
"Just leave him, Nausti-san," Shu told her. "I'll go after him in awhile, I know where  
he's going."  
Nausti took his hand and squeezed it. "You're such a good friend to Touma-san. I'll go  
with you, it'd be better to have a group of people go find Seiji-san instead of just two people."  
"Nausti, this will be very dangerous," Shu was worried that something might happen to  
her if she went.  
"I can take care of myself, you won't have to worry about me."  
"Don't I have a say in this?!" cried Shin, he didn't want his sister going out into the  
unknown.  
"Of course not, you're the younger sibling," she smiled at her brother sweetly.  
"I'm coming with you."  
"If you're going, then I'm going too."  
"Ryo . . ."  
  
  
  
There was darkness everywhere, there wasn't a single window in the dungeon  
underneath the castle. It was damp and cold, the silence was almost maddening, the musty smell  
of old blood filled the dungeon. The cells were fairly big, they were made so that the prisoner  
could be beaten inside their own cell by a number of people. On the ceiling there was a large  
ring, where the chain was supposed to go through and on the other end, the prisoner would be  
bound, dangling painfully a good foot above the stone floor. Right under the ring on the ceiling,  
there was another on the floor, that would be used for the same purpose, except it was for their  
feet. Outside of the cells, by the entrance to the dungeon, there was an assortment of black  
leather whips, blades of all sorts, beating clubs and other weapons that could be used against any  
poor soul that was unfortunate enough to be in the one of the cells. The doors to the small  
chambers were made of heavy wood, five inches thick and held tightly in place by three different  
locks. There only way air got in to the cell was by a small vent near the ceiling and a hole cut  
into the doors that was barred. In all the history of that castle, there was only one person to ever  
escape the dungeons, a boy who had no name and couldn't speak. Somehow his intelligent mind  
was able to form a plan in which to escape and it succeeded.  
In the very cell where Touma was held for years, a new occupant was staying there.  
Blood trickled down the side of his face, making it itch like hell, but he couldn't move his hands  
to wipe it away. His whole body hurt, especially his arms. Large bruises marred smooth, pale  
skin and his hair hung limply in his face. He had been stripped of his shirt, socks and boots,  
leaving him only in his pants. He was freezing, unused to the darkness that surrounded him from  
all sides. Even though he had been in there for what seemed like hours, he couldn't get his eyes  
to adjust to the pitch black, it was unnerving not know what was in front of you.  
//Touma, where are you? I need you.// Seiji thought to himself. He wondered if this is  
what Touma went through. He hadn't been there for as nearly as long as Touma had, but he  
already understood why his love hated this place so much. As he hung there, he let his mind  
wander off to more pleasant thoughts. Seiji remembered back to three years ago when he met  
Touma. Had it been anyone else, he probably wouldn't have let them travel around with him, but  
it had been love at first sight for the blond. As he went through old memories, he found that  
something didn't make sense. For sure, there was someone trying to kill Touma, but who?  
Kayura wanted him alive and no doubt she hired the Sanada clan to get him. So, who wanted him  
dead?  
There was a small flicker of light from a match and then the small lamp in the cell was  
lit, casting an eerie glow.  
"You're awake, I wonder if you recognize me."  
"How could I forget, Yami?" Seiji glared at the man, then smirked, "I see that you still  
have scars from our last encounter."  
"You will pay for that," Anubis hissed. The thin strap of the whip lashed out and flew  
across Seiji's chest, leaving a bloody line on the pale skin.  
The blond's smirk only got bigger, "This is the only way you can defeat me, by killing  
me when I'm all chained up." He threw his head back and laughed. "This is great! The all mighty  
warrior can't get rid of a mere boy, so he has to kill him when he can't even move!"  
"SILENCE!" The whip went back across his chest, only this time it was much harder.  
Seiji didn't give an inch, he refused to cry out in pain. Anubis smiled evilly, "You're a lot  
tougher than your little friend, he started crying right away, it's a pity we couldn't hear him."  
"And how old was he!? He was a child when you people destroyed his home and his life.  
What kind of sick person enjoys the sight of a child crying?!" Seiji had never felt so angry in his  
life. If Touma had been there for years and escaped when he was eleven . . . he must've been just  
a small boy.  
"For your information, it was Kayura who tortured your friend while he was here. God  
forbid, we certainty not allowed to touch her favorite 'pet'. Had it been us, then he probably  
wouldn't have had it too bad. He was six years old when he was brought here and he was ten  
when Kayura became more than just amused by him. His last year down here must've been pure  
hell," a man with long, red hair said from the doorway of the cell.  
"AAAAHHHH! GHOST!" Anubis yelled, looking at the man.  
"Who are you?" the blond growled.  
"I am Shuten and no, Anubis, I'm not a fucking ghost. Rajura just didn't kill me like  
Kayura wanted and Naaza isn't dead either, he was brought down here just like me. Kayura  
never comes down here, she claims the dampness makes her hair frizzy, or in other words, she  
won't come down to the dungeons unless her pet is here."  
"Why didn't Rajura tell me?!"  
"Because you sucked at keeping secrets, it's a good thing that Rajura taught you to keep  
your mouth shut," snapped Shuten.  
Anubis winced, a certain part of his body always got sore at THOSE memories. "Why  
are you over here anyway? It's my job to take care of him!"  
"Because I thought that the boy had been recaptured again, I see that this certainly isn't  
him."  
"The blond here is bait, Kayura's pet will be coming for him any minute now."  
"Kayura's?! What do you mean he's Kayura's!? By all means he's MINE!" Seiji  
corrected. "I didn't spend three years protecting and making love to him not to get any credit!"  
Shuten covered his ears, "Too much information! We don't need to know that!"  
"I'm just getting the facts straightened out. And don't call him 'pet', his name is  
Touma!"  
"I thought his name was Rowen, that's what they were calling him back at that temple,"  
Anubis said out loud.  
"It's TOUMA!!! Rowen is a HORRIBLE name!!!!"  
"Touchy, touchy."  
"Shut up! No one asked for your opinion!"  
"Hey! You're the one held captive here!"  
"I said shut up! You're voice is annoying."  
Shuten grinned, "He does have a point."  
Anubis dropped his whip and threw his hands up into the air, "I give up, I'll come back  
to beat you later." He then stormed out of the room.  
Shuten sighed heavily. "See what I mean, Touma was much more clever than you and  
you just avoided a beating by Anubis and he hates you. Had it been Kayura, you'd be unable to  
talk for the next month."  
"Do you think you could let me down? My arms hurt like hell."  
He shrugged, "Sure, why not?" After grabbing the keys, he unlocked the chains that  
bound Seiji's hands and the blond fell to the ground with a thud, landing painstakingly on his  
bottom. "I'm keeping the chains on your feet, I'm not that nice." Picking up Anubis' abandoned  
whip, he was about to walk out of the cell, before Seiji stopped him.  
"Wait."  
"What?"  
"I want some answers. There's someone trying to kill Touma, do you guys have anything  
to do about it?  
Shuten sighed again. "Kayura wanted him dead at first, she was furious that he escaped.  
Then she got the idea to get him back, so now instead of trying to have him killed, she wants him  
back in his cell. Oh yeah, don't think you're out of the woods yet, Anubis will be back and he  
won't show any mercy."  
Seiji could only stare as Shuten shut and locked the door. He noticed that they didn't  
bother to blow out the little flame in the lamp, providing Seiji with light. It bewildered him that  
Shuten had actually let him down, even though it wasn't the nicest landing he ever had. Weren't  
these guys supposed to be cruel? And that Anubis didn't beat the shit out him for talking back.  
He was the same man who killed his family, right? How come there seemed to be more to these  
men than they were letting on? Did Kayura know or was she too much on the ditzy side to even  
realize it? Did Touma ever notice this? Could it be possible that Touma got their help to escape?  
Seiji groaned in confusion and laid down on the chilly floor. Gazing up at the ceiling, he thought  
of Touma.  
  
  
  
Looking at the tracks carefully, Ryo determined that they were indeed Touma's. There  
were also some other marks at one side, probably from the staff he carried. It was easy for him to  
follow, from all his years of training. Touma either didn't know how to cover his trail or he was  
too much in a rush to even care. They couldn't be that far behind the boy, the tracks didn't look  
old, although something told him that Touma wasn't going to rest that night and if they wanted to  
catch up with him, they couldn't either. Though this was extremely stupid of the boy, going off  
like that without a thought about what to do, Ryo knew he'd do the same thing if it was Shin who  
had been taken. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked back at the group behind of him. He was  
leading them, since he was the only one who could read Touma's tracks. Shu was helping Nausti  
up the hill, even though she kept insisting that she didn't need help and Shin kept his focus  
forward and smiled at Ryo when he turned his head.  
"Do you see any sign of him?" Shin asked as he caught up to Ryo and started walking at  
his side.  
"No, we might have to go all night. All I know is that we have to catch up with him soon,  
before his trail gets harder to read. I don't understand why he didn't just travel on the road, it  
would've been easier if he did."  
"Well, Shu-san told me that he broke out from this place, so he's probably reusing the  
pathway he took when he was escaping, it wouldn't be smart of him to use the road if he were on  
the run."  
"That does make sense." Ryo looked over his shoulder again, making sure that Nausti  
and Shu were out of earshot. "Shin, why did you kiss me on the cheek earlier?"  
Shin's cheeks turned a bright red. "I-I guess cause . . ." he mumbled something under his  
breath, low enough so Ryo couldn't hear.  
"What did you say?" he was eager to know what Shin had said.  
"I said, cause I was happy with your decision and cause you're beautiful." Shin's cheeks  
and ears were now about the same color of his hair.  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, so, what do you think about it?" he looked shyly over at Ryo.  
"I think I couldn't be happier," Ryo clasped Shin's hand and kissed him on the lips.  
Nausti giggled and whispered to Shu, "Isn't that so adorable?"  
Shu could only nod and tighten his own clasp on Nausti's hand.  
  
  
  
Kayura laughed happily. She now had the blond, her pet will come any day now to save  
him and that's when she'd strike. Even with the powers of Tenku with him, he was no match for  
her, he would be easily recaptured. Once she had no more use for the blond, she'd have Anubis  
kill him right in front of her pet, to teach him what happens when someone defies her. After that,  
she'd give her pet a long lesson in obedience. The grin on her face widened, her pet was no  
longer a little boy with large, sad eyes, skinny limbs and long hair. He was now a young man,  
though his eyes were the same, his hair was much shorter, his muscles had filled out and he was  
absolutely stunning. She had kept a close eye on him all this time and now it was time for him to  
return home. Right when her pet has learned to be obedient and to behave properly, she would  
force him into her bed and this time there would be no escape.  
  
  
  
Clouds covered the sky, threatening to rain and nippy winds made branches sway. The  
tall trees acted as a blanket, blocking out much of the light of day in the forest. There was a  
creepy feeling to this place, not many ventured into it. But it was a short cut to the castle on top  
of a towering hill. Right beyond the forest, there was a dead looking field to be crossed and it led  
right to the castle.  
Touma wiped the sweat out of his face, he was both physically and emotionally tired. He  
had been hiking at a frantic pace for over thirty hours straight and every step forced him to think  
back five years ago, when he was running through this forest in the opposite direction. Weary, he  
leaned against a tree, Touma only rested for a minute, if he had stayed there any longer he  
would've fallen asleep. He had a death grip on his staff, needing it more than ever just to keep  
himself on his feet. As he walked, he cursed Kayura, he cursed Rajura, everyone that had toyed  
with his life. In another hour, he couldn't take another step, his legs gave out. He was pushing  
himself too much, if he kept this up, then he'd be too worn out to save Seiji. He could always  
summon Tenku, but Tenku would need a well rested body to use. Looking ahead of him, he  
could see the edge of the forest. Grasping his staff, he used it to push himself back on his feet, it  
took him five agonizing minutes just to go ten feet. Just as the forest ended, he fell back down  
and lifted his head to observe his surroundings. In front of him was a lifeless field and off in the  
distance he could see the castle. A mixture of triumph and horror filled him. Memories which he  
had suppressed for years came back up at the simple sight of his prison.  
He closed his eyes and bit his lower lip, trying to push the images from his mind. //Oh  
gods, Seiji could be going through what I did. Damn you, Kayura, for every mark on my Seiji's  
body, you'll pay ten fold. Seiji, don't worry, I'll free you, even if it means sacrificing  
everything.//   
It was a struggle just to sit up, he was very tired, but he didn't want to rest. While he was  
sitting there, Seiji could be going through the worst torture imaginable. Shaking his head, he  
knew he had to think logically, he would be no use to his love if he was too fatigued to fight.  
Reaching into his pouch, he rummaged through his things looking for something to eat. His  
fingers brushed across something that felt like a package, so he snatched it up, thinking that it  
might be food. It was a bag of tea, he couldn't help smiling at it. It was Seiji's tea. He put it back  
in his pouch, keeping in mind that he'd have to make Seiji some tea once they get out of that hell  
hole together. Seiji always like his tea very hot, with a little bit of honey or sugar in it to get rid  
of the bitterness, only Touma could make it just the way Seiji liked it. Touma's lightened spirits  
dropped, he realized that even though Seiji was going to make it out of there, he might be stuck  
there again. If it came down to it, he might have to make a deal with Kayura and trace places  
with the blond. Touma didn't want to think about, however the thoughts of it still lingered in his  
mind. It twisted his heart painfully to think that he may never get to touch Seiji again, never get  
to kiss him again, never get to make love to him again. Sighing sadly, he looked for some food  
again and only found a few pieces of candy left over from the small bag that Seiji had bought  
him while he was still in the hotel recovering. Munching on the candy, he thought of a way to get  
in the castle. Well, he did manage to get out by using a certain route, so he might as well use it  
again.  
//Maybe I should get some sleep before I cross that field. Maybe I could sleep the rest of  
the day and go during the night, all I have to worry about is Yami then.// Touma got as  
comfortable as he could against a tree and shut his eyes. In one hand he clutched the piece of  
fabric from Seiji's shirt and in the other was the reed flute he used to summon Tenku. //Tenku,  
I'm going to need you now more than ever, please, don't abandon me.//  
  
  
  
There was a sickening silence in the cell that the prisoner was currently being held.  
Rajura leaned against the wall, listening to slaps of leather hitting flesh. He knew that the blond  
must be covered with blood and bruises by now, not once though, has he cried out in pain.  
Peeking inside the cell, he saw his lover looking very frustrated at the blond, who was hanging  
limply by the chains. This time he punched the boy right in the ribs, still he got no response.  
Anubis stepped back and then a slow grin appeared on his face, he knew how to make the boy  
react.  
"Your dear little Touma had the most delightful look on his face when he was in pain."  
His grin got wider as Seiji's eyes filled with hatred. "His sobs were the most interesting thing to  
hear though, it made you wonder what Kayura was doing to him when she wouldn't allow us to  
watch."  
"You're lying, Touma can't make a sound," Seiji said shakily.  
"Maybe not with his voice, but with his mind he can." Anubis tapped his head with a  
finger, "It's all up here, people with magic can communicate with something we call mind  
speech."  
"Leave Touma out of this."  
Anubis didn't stop, "The whip made such a great smack on his flesh, much better than  
yours, maybe because he was so young."  
"Leave him out of this!"  
"We all know that your Touma is coming for you right this second. We've prepared for  
his homecoming, this time he won't get away. It's kind of sad, a delicate little thing like Touma  
trying to save someone who should've been able to defend himself. It's a shame that he's never  
going to get to see his Seiji one last time, he'll become the property of Kayura again. And to  
think, it'll be all your fault that Touma suffers."  
"I SAID LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!!!!" Seiji was on the verge of tears. He didn't  
want to hear this, he didn't want to know the horrors of Touma's stay here from the man who  
killed his family and who was also mocking his love's pain and suffering. He would learn about  
this when Touma was strong enough to face the demons of his past. And he certainly didn't want  
to hear about what might happen if Touma got caught again. Anubis would be right then, it  
would be his fault. Yami might've been merciful the other day, however today he wasn't holding  
anything back, he the cruel man Seiji had known in his past once more. Anubis was hitting him  
where it hurt most, in the heart. The whip lashed across his chest and stomach again, it was  
nothing to what he was feeling inside of him.   
All of a sudden, his almost hissed in pain as the blade of a sword left a deep gash in his  
upper thigh. His eyes were shut tight, the sword biting into his flesh over and over again, digging  
deep into it each time. He could feel his blood pouring out of the wounds and the sharp pain of  
the whip lashing over them. It was almost too much for him to take, his lip started bleeding from  
biting down on it so hard. He would not cry out, he refused to make a sound. Seiji tried to  
distract himself by thinking of something other than the pain. The strikes became harder, as  
Anubis did his best to make the blond cry out. There was a strained look on the blond's face, he  
was making sure that he didn't make a sound, he didn't want Yami to have the pleasure of  
hearing his screams.  
"You're very stubborn," Anubis growled. Seiji was taking all the fun out of this for him.  
"I try," Seiji grinned weakly.  
Anubis punched him right across the face before blowing out the little flame in the lamp  
and walking out of the cell. Seiji took in an unsteady breath, trying desperately to ignore the  
burning pain that shot through his entire body. He had to admit that he was a proud bastard, he  
wouldn't bring shame to himself by crying. Anubis' words stung worse more than anything else.  
//Touma, I'm sorry, it is my fault. I'd never forgive myself if you get captured by these  
bastards. I don't even want to think about what might happen to you . . .// He was unable to  
control himself as tears slipped down his face. //How many times have you cried in here, love?  
Please forgive me, I'm trying to be strong for you. Touma, you're all I have in the world, I've  
tried to keep you safe and happy, but now I've managed to bring your nightmares to life. I know  
you too well, you're going to come, I just hope that trying to save me won't become your doom.  
Tenku told me that Kourin would be at my side when I needed him, well, right now I need him to  
help Touma and I. I beg of you, help us.// Seiji sighed softly as he felt the pain of his wounds  
ease and the next thing he knew it, he was laying on the ground, the horrible ache in his arms was  
gone.  
"Kourin . . . ?" Seiji weakly asked before he fell into a deep, blissful slumber.  
  
  
  
Everyone was tired, though that didn't make them stop to rest. The only timed they  
stopped to rest was at night, when they really needed to stop. Shu was surprised that they hadn't  
caught up with Touma yet, for all they knew Touma was already at the castle. They had been  
informed by Ryo that they would be reaching the end of the forest soon, what lie beyond that was  
unknown. The sun had sunk down into the west and the stars were starting to appear in the  
darkened sky. Shin had an arm wrapped securely around Ryo's waist, Shin didn't want Ryo to  
come, he was still weak from his previous injuries and he should've been in bed instead of trying  
to save someone they hardly knew. Then again, they probably would've been lost without him,  
and Ryo was trying to take it easy, not wanting to worry Shin too much. Shin had to smile every  
time he replayed their kiss in his mind. He felt honored to have such a beautiful creature to call  
his own. To his surprise, Ryo stopped in his tracks, causing everyone else to stop.  
"What's wrong, Ryo? Do you need to rest?"  
"No, look, Shin. There's someone ahead of us, I think it's Touma," Ryo pointed out.  
Shu looked over in that direction. "He's right, it's Touma!" They ran the rest of the way  
to where Touma was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree.  
"I was wondering how long it'd take you to get here," a flat voice said to them.  
All of them nearly jumped back in shock and Shu timidly asked, "Tenku?"  
Tenku stood up, his gaze was over at the field. "You don't have to come. Touma  
wouldn't want any of you to come risk your lives if you didn't want to. None of you really know  
Seiji, so you can all go back if you like. The ninja is hurt too, I suggest that you take him back."  
"Hey, listen, Tenku! We all came because we wanted to help. It doesn't matter that we  
don't know Seiji, but his life is in danger right now and if we didn't care, we wouldn't be here  
right now," Ryo snapped at him.  
"Bold words for a Sanada ninja, especially one who was trying to bring harm to Touma."  
Tenku shot back, his voice dripping with bitterness.  
"I'm trying to change, I know my job was to capture Touma, it isn't anymore. I'm going  
to make it up to him and this is the only way I can. I don't blame him for what happened to Ikari,  
because that was your doing."  
There was an awkward smile on Tenku's face, then he threw his head back and laughed.  
"Humans are very complex and amusing. Very well, ninja, you and your friends can help only if  
you want to. You spoke the right words, I would've killed you if you tried to hurt Touma."  
Getting to his feet, he pointed to the castle in the distance. "Crossing the field won't be some  
picnic, Anubis will be able to see us, even in the dark. I know a way in the castle, after we rescue  
Seiji, I want you to get him out of here, I have some unsettled business with Kayura."  
"Wait, maybe you have unsettled business with her, but Touma doesn't. He would want  
to get away from there as soon as possible. Why risk his life too?" questioned Shu, he didn't like  
this plan Tenku was thinking of.  
"Because, we both don't want something like this to ever happen again. Kayura is  
already over four hundred years old and she's still has a long way to go. It's best to destroy her  
now, before she becomes too powerful. I'm not going to let her harm anyone ever again."  
"You're planning a kamikaze mission, aren't you?" Shu felt his temper rising.  
Tenku stared at him coldly. "I wouldn't intend to kill him like that, I plan on both of us  
coming out alive."  
  
  
  
What the hell was I on while writing this? When will there be more action between Shu and  
Nausti? How will Tenku get rid of Kayura? Will Kourin end up helping them? How could I stand  
hurting our favorite blond, Seiji? Will Shin and Ryo be able to maintain a good relationship?  
Will we ever get to see them in bed in this story? What is better, chocolate or strawberry flavored  
Pocky? Why am I asking this now? And why the hell is my tea bitter even though I put honey in  
it? Find out in Part VII and many other parts of "The Paths We Take".  



	7. Part VII

Part VII  
  
"They're near, I can feel them. This will prove to be much fun, it's been a long time  
since I've seen Tenku, he should put up a pretty good fight." Kayura rose from her throne, her  
wicked smile plastered on her face and her eyes glowing with anticipation. "No matter what you  
have planned for me, Tenku, I will get my pet back and I will finally rid myself of you. He might  
have gotten stronger, but the warrior of the firmament will never compare to be anything against  
me."  
"Shall I go greet them, Lady Kayura?" asked Anubis.  
"No, let them come to the castle and rescue the blond. Whatever happens, Tenku will  
come to me and that's when my own plan begins."  
"How can you be so sure that they just won't leave?"  
"My pet has summoned Tenku to him and I know that he just won't leave the castle  
without dealing with me first. Tenku is such a fool, he'll bring me exactly what I want."  
  
  
  
Thin, pale fingers brushed against the stones at the base of the castle walls, searching for  
a loose one. Tenku used what knowledge Touma had to try to figure out where the loose stone  
was, from there, it'd give them access into the castle and lead them straight to the dungeons. The  
others stood back, watching as Tenku brushed his fingers across the walls. No one really know  
what he was doing, no one dared to ask. Crossing the field had been easy enough, much to their  
surprise, so everyone had the idea that Kayura was probably planning something, this didn't stop  
any of them though. Tenku jumped back in surprise as one of the stones slightly moved and  
grinned, knowing that this was the block he was supposed to push in. Gritting his teeth, he  
pushed on the stone block, slowly it went in and fell to the ground with a thud.   
"Could you be a little bit quieter?" snapped Shu.  
"This is the only way I know how to get in here. It might be a tight fit, but all of us  
should be able to through," Tenku easily slipped through the hole.  
"Easy for him to say, his body is as thin as a piece of paper," muttered Ryo as he got  
through the hole with a little bit more difficulty. Once everybody got through the hole, Tenku led  
them silently down the tunnel underneath the castle. It was difficult to see in the darkness for the  
others, Tenku seemed to have no problem. He went down twists and turns, using Touma's  
memory to lead them down the maze of tunnels that Kayura was unaware of. It felt like an  
eternity before their guide stopped in front of the wall, nobody dared talk, afraid that they might  
be heard. Tenku went through the process of brushing his fingers across the stone blocks of the  
wall again.  
"There is a hidden door here, it'll lead us right to the dungeon," Tenku said more to  
himself than to the others.  
"I wonder how Touma-san found out about this," marveled Nausti.  
"Yeah, I doubt Kayura would've just let him wander around the dungeons," added Shu.  
"Shuten helped him," Tenku replied flatly as he got a hold of the unnoticeable handle in  
the wall. Before opening the door, he closed his eyes, trying to sense who was down there.  
Normally there was someone down there to watch the prisoner, he could feel two presence's  
there, but one was a spirit. Frowning a bit, Tenku decided to take his chances and opened the  
door. The dungeon was dimly lit by a single torch, walking down to the cell Seiji was in,  
Touma's body froze right in front of it. Tenku couldn't stop the shaking that almost violently  
went through the body he was using, the strong emotions rising in Touma were overwhelming  
him.  
"Tenku, are you all right?" Shin caught him just as he was about to collapse.  
"I'll be fine," he grunted, trying to steady himself on his feet. //Calm down, Touma! This  
isn't going to do you or Seiji any good.// Tenku gently scowled Touma and in a few minutes he  
was able to stand on his own. "Sorry," he muttered and moved to open the door.  
"Um, Tenku, don't you need a . . ." Ryo stopped in mid sentence as Tenku promptly  
ripped the door off its hinges. "You had difficulties pushing in a block, but you tore the door like  
it was a leaf."  
"I was saving my strength, ninja." Without another word, he stepped in the cell, spotting  
the blond right away. Slowly he made his way to him, Tenku knew that Seiji would be beaten  
and if he rushed right to him, Touma's emotions might go out of control again. Seiji was laying  
on the ground, his body covered in bruises and faint scars that'd heal over time.  
"It's about time you got here," a voice other than Seiji's spoke up. Everyone almost had  
a heart attach all at the same time. Now they had two possessed people on their hands. His eyes  
opened and looked straight at Tenku. "You're getting slow, but then again, you were always the  
lazy type."  
Tenku twitched. "You know, Kourin, if I didn't love you and Touma didn't love this boy,  
I would leave you right here for Kayura."  
"Just help me up, Seiji is very weak, I managed to heal most of the wounds."  
Smiling fondly at Kourin, Tenku got him to sit up. Easily, he ripped the chains off of  
Kourin and planted a kiss on his cheek. He took out an extra shirt that was folded very neatly  
from his pouch, gently putting it on Kourin so he wouldn't disturb any of the wounds on his  
body. Once he got him to his feet, Tenku handed Kourin to Shu. "Take him and get as far away  
from here as possible. Go."  
"Where do you think you're going?" demanded Kourin.  
"Just go," Tenku turned and walked away.  
"Tenku! Don't turn your back on me!" Kourin tried to follow him, but Shu held him  
back. "Touma-chan!" Seiji's voice came through, making Tenku stop. Tenku couldn't deny  
Touma of anything he wanted and he wasn't going to start. Going back, he grabbed Seiji's face  
in his hands and kissed him passionately. Seiji moaned as Touma deepened the kiss, pushing his  
tongue into his mouth, exploring it aggressively. Shu shifted uncomfortably as he let go of Seiji  
and looked away. Shin, Ryo and Nausti followed in his example, they were almost afraid that the  
couple might actually start stripping each other in any second. Slowly they broke the kiss, staring  
longingly into each other's eyes.  
//I love you, Seiji. I'm sorry, I have to leave you, for now.// Touma whispered into his  
love's mind, then let Tenku take over again. He slipped off his robe and pouch, handing them to  
Nausti, then handed Shin Seiji's sword. "You're going to need this more than I." Then, he left.  
"Touma!" Seiji cried, Shu grabbed him again before he could go after the younger boy.  
"Come on, we should get going," Shu said quietly.  
"No!" Kourin suddenly growled, shoving the larger boy away from him, Tenku was  
already out of sight. "I'm not going to let him do this by himself! He's going to get himself  
killed!" Looking at the others, he said, "I'm going to need your help, only if you're willing  
though."  
Shin nodded, "Just tell us what we need to do."  
"I need someone to give me some of their energy, so I can finish healing the wounds on  
Seiji's body, then I'll go help Tenku. Shuten, Anubis, Rajura and Naaza are still crawling around  
here, you might need to hold them off for me."  
"You can use some of mine," Nausti offered.  
"Thank you." Kourin took her hand and withdrew some of her energy, but not too much.  
With that, he used it to heal whatever wounds were left and replenished Seiji's strength.  
  
  
  
Tenku knew the poorly lit halls of this castle like the back of Touma's hand. It had been  
a long time since he had been there. The first was when Kayura was only a hundred years old, he  
had confronted her and failed. He was easily over powered by her, he hated to admit that she was  
a far more powerful force than he ever imagined. This time though, he was prepared, he was a lot  
stronger than before and there was no doubt in his mind that Kayura would be stronger as well. It  
wasn't hard to see Yami lurking in the shadows, waiting for him.  
"Tenku, long time no see," Yami sneered at the spirit.  
"Take me to Kayura," he hissed back.  
"With pleasure," Anubis bowed slightly. "Right this way, sir."  
Tenku glared at him, but said nothing and followed Yami up to a darkened chamber.  
Yami left and the door slammed shut behind of him, the sound of a few locks sliding into place  
was loud compared to the silence of the room. All at once, dozens of candles were lit, casting an  
uncanny glow. In the center of the chamber, Kayura sat on the ground patiently, the faintest of  
smiles hovering on her lips and her eyes were locked on the body of her former pet. Standing up,  
she chuckled softly.  
"I've been waiting for you, Tenku, my dear. Give up now, I don't want to bruise that  
beautiful body you're using."  
"At least not yet."  
"You know me too well. You also know that you can't defeat me by yourself. Don't even  
think of trying to escape, I've put up my wards, they'll keep your spirit in this room until I've  
destroyed it or if by some miracle you can walk out of this room with that body."  
"Don't underestimate me, Kayura." Tenku summoned his bow to him and an arrow.  
"Kayura, I'm going to make you regret what you did to Touma. I'm . . . going to turn you into a  
donkey, so you'll be a real jack ass!"  
"Where did that come from?"  
"An old friend of mine said that to me once and it's all that I can think of right now."  
Two swords appeared in her hands and she grinned smugly at him. "Well, anyway,  
you've played right into my hands, Tenku, I knew you'd come, with my pet's body in tow. It'll  
be fun destroying you, you've always been a problem to me, but tonight is where it all ends.  
Now, give me your best shot."  
  
  
  
The entire castle shuddered under the impact of the great powers raging in a single room.  
The wards alone barely kept all of it contained in the chambers where Tenku and Kayura were  
fighting in. Kourin frowned, knowing that if he didn't hurry up, there wouldn't be much of  
Tenku left to save. It wasn't the problem of finding where they were, Kourin already knew that  
much, it was how to deal with Kayura's men. They would prove to be a big obstacle, but luckily  
the others had agreed that they'd tried to distract them while Kourin went to go help Tenku. The  
trick was getting around them so he could get to Tenku. As he predicted, all four men were  
waiting for them outside the chamber where his love and Kayura were fighting.  
"Let us through," Kourin snarled.  
Shuten shrugged, "As long as you kill Kayura, we have no objections."  
"What the hell is going on?" asked Ryo. "This must be a tick."  
"No, we want Kayura dead just as much as you do," explained Anubis. "Once she's  
dead, we're free again and we can go back to our own clans."  
"Right now, I'm willing to believe just about anything as long as I can get to Tenku.  
Shin, let me have that sword," Kourin said and Shin gave him Seiji's sword. "I guess you won't  
have to fighting after all, my friends."  
"Can't we help you?" Shu wanted to do something other than wait for Kourin and Tenku  
to come out of that room.  
"Unless you possess any kind of magic, you'll be killed upon entering that room or at  
least until Kayura is dead," Rajura told them.   
"But Seiji and Touma were able to summon spirits to them, can't we do that too?"  
"All in good time, Shu, but now is not the time for Kongo, Rekka and Suiko to be called  
upon. Maybe in another life time," Kourin clarified. "Wish me luck my friends, for I may never  
come out again."  
"Good luck," Nausti whispered as Kourin bravely entered the room.  
"I hope both Kourin and Tenku come out alive and that they finish off Kayura," Shuten  
said to himself.  
"That's only because you don't want to have to deal with her yourself," muttered Naaza.  
"Who asked you, freak of nature?"  
Kourin laid his hand flat on the door, all of the locks obeyed his command and unlocked,  
allowing him to step in. Right when he was inside the room, the door slammed closed, locking  
itself again. Tenku and Kayura were right in the middle of fighting when he came in. They were  
in the air, Tenku was busy blocking her attacks with his bow, not managing to get in any attacks  
himself. There was a large gash above his left eye and he was cut in several other places, the  
blood was slowly soaking his clothing, the thin, leather armor he wore did little to protect him.  
Kayura seemed a bit winded as well, there were at least five broken arrows embedded in her and  
a few cuts on her face. Leaping up into the air, Kourin raised his sword and aimed it straight for  
Kayura. At the very last second, she saw Kourin coming at her, she just barely got away, the  
blade brushed against her face, cutting open her cheek. Landing back on the ground, she glared at  
the new comer in her little game.  
"What are you doing here, you should be resting!" Tenku wasn't very happy that Kourin  
was there, Seiji's body was still probably weak.  
"I'm fine, you're the one who looks like they should be in bed."  
Tenku smiled, "I'm glad to see you well, my friend."  
"I'm just happy that you're in one piece."  
"Excuse me boys, I don't like being ignored!" Kayura snapped, getting back into a  
fighting stance.  
"Fine, we'll give you all the attention you want." Another arrow appeared in Tenku's  
hand and launched it at her. The one arrow spilt into ten, all aiming for Kayura.  
"Not this trick again, it's getting boring, you know," Kayura sighed as she jumped out of  
the way of the arrows' path. She was in the air again and was met halfway by both Kourin and  
Tenku. She dodged Kourin's attack, but Tenku hit her right in the ribs with his bow. Kayura was  
knocked down to the stone floor, Kourin and Tenku followed her right down. Before she could  
react, Kayura felt something go through her chest, the blade of Kourin's sword and it was twisted  
harshly, then ripped out of her. Six of Tenku's arrows went straight for her throat, each hitting  
their target.  
Enraged, Kayura got to her feet and screamed, "You think you can kill an immortal!? I  
will show you what an immortal can do!"  
Tenku and Kourin had no idea what hit them. Both were brutally slammed against the  
wall, neither knew when was the last time they were in that much pain. Slumping down onto the  
floor, Kourin tried to find the strength to get up, he found himself far too weak to even move a  
finger. Snapping out of his daze, he heard Tenku screaming in pain, he was still pinned on the  
wall, his feet dangling a good yard off the ground. Blood dripped down from every wound on his  
body and began to puddle up below him. All Kourin wanted to do at that moment was to help  
Tenku somehow, make all the pain stop and heal his wounds, but he doubted that he could even  
speak without pain. Kayura was laughing in triumph, it came out in loud, crazed barks of  
laughter that she could hardly control. Her own blood ran down her, drenching her from head to  
toe, it didn't matter to her though, she was immortal, nothing could kill her.  
Once her laughter had calmed down some, she leered at Tenku. "This is true power!  
Unless you get out of that body now, your dear Touma will be crushed to death by the force of  
my attack."  
Tenku screamed louder as the crushing energy pressed harder against Touma's body. He  
could clearly hear bones snapping all over, if he kept this up, Touma would die. If he left the  
body though, both he and Touma would be very vulnerable to Kayura, they'd both be trapped in  
this room. And with the injuries Touma had, if Tenku left, then Touma would probably die  
anyway. Damned if you, damned if you don't. Touma's mental screams of pain were too much  
for Tenku to bear, he decided to take a huge risk.  
//Kayura . . . I-I can't g-get out of Touma . . . unless you s-s-stop your attack.// Tenku  
managed to get out, there was no way he would've been able to speak.  
"Coming to your senses, huh?" Kayura stopped her attack and watched as Tenku slid  
down the wall.  
Instead of falling straight on his ass, he was able to stay on his feet. Tenku then  
summoned all the energy he and Touma had left as fast as he could. Stretching out an arm and  
holding up his hand, he was able to form the same energy that would've been concentrated on an  
arrow if he had one. It was only a small, blue, sphere of power, Kayura almost laughed again.  
//LET'S SEE YOU DODGE THIS!! SHIN KU HA!!!// The small sphere turned into an  
entire tsunami of energy, all focused on one target.  
Like her daughter before her, no matter how fast she was, she couldn't have moved out  
of the way if she had used all of her speed. There was no way around Tenku's most powerful  
attack. It struck her with all of its strength, flinging her across the room and right through the  
wall. All of the wards guarding the room shattered. The entire castle was destroyed as was some  
of the land around it.  
When Seiji woke up, he found himself in a green tinted bubble. He was unharmed from  
the blast and underneath him was the ruins of Kayura's castle. Seiji had no doubt that this was  
the power of Kourin protecting him at that very second. Looking around, he found Ryo, Shin,  
Shu and Nausti, all protected by similar bubbles, well, except for Nausti, she was in the same one  
as Shu, even though he was unconscious, the monk had his arms protectively around her. Touma  
was nowhere to be found though. Slowly, the bubble descended to the ground and disappeared as  
Seiji's feet were on the earth again. He heard something, dragging, as if someone were dragging  
something. And a voice, it sounded like . . . Kayura. Grabbing his sword off the ground, Seiji ran  
in the direction the voice was coming from, it wasn't long when he found the girl, dragging his  
currently unconscious love by the arm, muttering to herself.  
"I can't believe that Tenku had that much power," she murmured. "I'm weak, tired and I  
sure as hell can't even teleport at the moment. But at least I finally got you, my pet." She giggled  
madly, "That's all I wanted and now I have you back. Tenku has left you, he had no more  
strength left and neither do you. After I teach you obedience, you'll be a good little bed mate,  
you'll never defy me again. I'll break your will, I've done it before, when I'm done with you, you  
won't blink without my permission."  
Touma's lips parted, if he had a voice he would've moaned in pain. His face had an  
expression of pure agony on it as the girl roughly dragged him, not caring if his back was being  
scratched up by rocks and it was bleeding. Touma's eyes opened a little, they were full of  
confusion, he mouthed "Seiji" before his passed out.  
"Kayura, if you want to live, you'll let go of Touma and leave," Seiji's harsh voice  
reached the girl's ears. She turned her head to see the blond only a few feet from her, his sword  
pointing straight at her. "You possibly can't be able to use your magic anymore and when it  
comes to physical attacks, you don't stand a chance without me."  
She was completely helpless, she didn't even have a dagger to defend herself with or to  
threaten Touma's life with. There was no way she was any match for Seiji and they both knew  
that. Then Shuten, Naaza, Rajura and Anubis arrived behind her. Kayura smiled and had a gleam  
of hope in her eyes. "Sorry blondie, you don't have a chance against all four of them. They won't  
let you hurt me, they're my loyal servants, they won't let anything happen to me. You're good as  
dead."  
Seiji knew better. "You should always have the facts straight before you speak, you little  
bitch."  
"Don't speak to me that way. And what're you talking about, boy?"  
Shuten clamped his hand on Kayura's shoulder. "Seiji-san, take Touma and we'll take  
care of her."  
"What are you doing!?" she spun around, disbelief on her face.  
"Don't worry about it, Seiji-san, think of this as my apology about your family. She's the  
main reason why they're dead." Anubis took out a sword and slowly cut the skin on her arm, she  
whimpered softly in fear.  
"It'll be fun torturing her," Naaza grinned and Rajura nodded in agreement.  
"I'd like to join you," Seiji said as he gathered Touma up in his arms, "but this one is  
more deserving of my attention. Do whatever you want with her, just make sure that in the end,  
she's dead."  
"Consider it done," Rajura winked.  
Seiji nodded and walked away, as he was leaving, Kayura's screams rose like the sun  
was in the east and the screams wouldn't die down until she lost her voice an hour later. Touma's  
body nestled closer to Seiji's as the blond carried him away, a more relaxed look on his face, as  
if he knew that he'd never see Kayura once more in his life, not even in his worst nightmares. No  
one, other than Anubis, Shuten, Kajura and Naaza, ever saw Kayura alive again. Dead, was  
another story. Almost a hundred years later, a fisherman would find her decomposed arm, a  
servant would find the bone to her leg, a princess would find her hand, still intact, a dog would  
find another bone from her other leg and an unfortunate farmer would find her shriveled head  
buried in the soil of his farm land. The tyrant in the body of the twelve year old girl was never  
seen whole again, or that's how it goes . . .  
In the forest, Seiji laid Touma on the ground and looked over his body, looking for  
serious wounds. Then, to his horror, Touma stopped breathing, he no longer had a pulse, his  
heart had totally stopped beating.  
//Kourin! HELP!// Right away Kourin came rushing to him, all he could do was wait and  
see if Touma would have a third chance at life. //Please Touma, live, three years with you isn't  
nearly enough, I need you.//  
  
  
  
Five Years Later . . .  
  
Far away from the temple and the town close by, far away from any major city and close  
to a small village, stood a little house. Inside, Nausti was busy cleaning and making sure that  
dinner was ready. Her stew was just right, so she took it off the stove and began letting it cool.  
The rolls were done and the table was already set. She put out the butter and glass cups,  
everything was neat and orderly. If she finished early, she could hit the books before her  
husband, her brother and his lover came home. Shin and Ryo lived nearby in another little house  
that they had all to themselves, but they usually stayed for dinner. Sometimes Nausti would cook,  
other times in was Shin's job. The table was set for five and one of these days it would be six,  
she thought as she patted her stomach. Child number two was on the way, but it would be a  
while, she was only four months pregnant. Her first born was a four year old boy named Kento,  
an unruly little boy, who was intelligent like his mother and strong like his father. Sadly, Kento  
had the same appetite as his father, so Nausti had to always make more than what you'd usually  
make for five people. She couldn't wait until after the baby was born, Shu had promised to stay  
at home with the children after the baby was born, so she could go work as a teacher in the  
village. Shu and two children, oh, her poor husband, he was going to go insane with them. Kento  
was already a handful. Of course Ryo and Shin were always happy to look after Kento, she could  
tell that they were envious of them, since they couldn't have children. Nausti thought about  
letting Shin and Ryo adopt this child, but it would be too hard just to give up her kid, even if she  
did get to them everyday. Maybe one of these days she'd be able to. Humming to herself, she  
went back into the living room and played with her four year old son.  
  
  
  
Stretching out his arms, Shu yawned as he left the small restaurant he worked at. It didn't  
seem like much work, but it was, especially when you're short on people. Walking down to the  
store where Shin and Ryo worked, he had to wait only a few short minutes until they came  
outside, they were talking about something that was usually on all of their minds.  
"I don't know, I'd think that if they were still alive they'd drop a line or something,"  
Shin shrugged.  
"Yeah, but I just have this feeling that they're both all right."  
Shu smiled sadly. "Going through the whether or not Seiji and Touma are alive debate  
again?"  
"Sorry," Ryo looked down shamefully, "we all know that you and Touma were good  
friends, it's rude to talk about them that way. I think they're still around though, we've all got our  
paths to take and theirs' isn't settling down some where to live, yet. I bet they're traveling all  
over the place."  
That sounds like Touma, Shu had to silently agree. He ignored the rest of the  
conversation, they had been through it a million times. Shin didn't think they were alive, Ryo did  
and Shu could only hope. Something caught the former monk's eye, right over Ryo's shoulder.  
Bright blue. Across the street and down a block was a young man with bright blue hair stood  
outside a store, waiting for someone. A taller, older, blond man stepped out of the store and went  
right to the blue haired man, obviously talking to him.  
"Hey Shu, what're you looking at?" asked Shin.  
"Nothing," he shook his head and looked back in that direction. The couple started  
walking off, holding hands and disappeared into a small crowd of people. "You know guys, I  
have a feeling that Touma and Seiji are just fine."  
  
  
  
I'M FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M FREE OF THE THIS STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN MOVE ONTO  
BETTER FICS NOW!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! DON'T ASK FOR A SEQUEL CAUSE LIKE HELL  
ARE YOU GETTING ONE!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! I'M DONE!!!!!! *Does cartwheels, then is  
chased off by fan girls for having such a crappy ending*  
Now I'll answer a few questions that you people might have. First, what happened to Ikari? Well,  
let's say she died. Second, what became of Shuten, Anubis, Rajura and Naaza? Um, they went on  
to invent Pocky. Third, what the hell kind of ending what that!?!?! I don't know! It was hard  
coming up for a good ending for this fic! And fourth, what is the best flavor of Pocky? I say it's  
chocolate.  
And a little side note, I was about to kill off Touma (it would've made a killer ending), but I  
couldn't bring myself to do it!! So be grateful!!!!!!! 


End file.
